Casey Affleck has signed on to write and direct a feature biopic on Texas Rangers baseball slugger Josh Hamilton.

Josh Hamilton was the first player chosen in the 1999 Major League Baseball draft, although his rise to stardom was a rocky one. He became addicted to alcohol and cocaine, to the point where he was even hiding cocaine in his minor league uniform. He was kicked out of baseball altogether after a failed stint at the Betty Ford clinic.

After finally embracing his demons and committing to recovery, he petitioned Major League Baseball for one more chance, and was signed by the Cincinatti Reds in 2007. He was traded to the Texas Rangers one year later, where he blossomed into one of baseball's rising stars. He hit a record-breaking 35 home runs in the 2008 Home Run Derby, and has been considered one of the sport's top players ever since, winning the MVP Award in 2010.

Basil Iwanyk acquired the player's life rights and will produce alongside Kevin Walsh. Here's what Basil Iwanyk had to say about this powerful true story.

"I truly think this guy's story is one of the most inspiring stories I've ever read. It's also tailor-made for a movie: it has the mythic quality of The Natural, the faith-based angle of The Blind Side, and faith is a major part of our story, and the romance of Walk the Line. Casey has totally captured those elements in his take for the movie. It is an extraordinary odyssey that took him from the depths of drug addiction, estrangement from his family, and suspension from baseball to a spectacular rebirth of his life, faith, marriage and major league career."

The producer is based at Warner Bros., who will get the first crack at this project before it is pitched around town. No production schedule was given.