Little league blockbuster filmed at Labatt Park brings local players to the screen

London landmark Labatt Memorial Park plays a prominent role in a Hollywood blockbuster about an underdog Texas baseball team that rallied around a teammate's dying father to make it all the way to the 2002 Little League World Series.

You Gotta Believe, directed by Ty Robers and starring Luke Wilson and Greg Kinnear, opens at theatres across North America on Friday.

The film also features a number of local young baseball players who were cast as extras, including Tyler Wilson, 14, and his brother Cameron, 12, whose mom sent in their applications after seeing a post for the filming on Instagram.

"It was a surreal experience being able to be out there and see fully behind the scenes how much effort going into making a movie like that," said Tyler, who played first base for the Kentucky Great Lakes in the film.

"There were so many different cuts because most of the main actors had never played baseball before. We had a very high level pitcher and catcher who was throwing 80 (mph) off the mound to these little tiny kids. Each at-bat scene would take up to 40 minutes for each kid."

Cameron, who was an extra in the stands, enjoyed the experience but also said there was a lot of waiting around for things to happen.

"Watching it have to go over and over again, it was fun because it was a small crew at Labatt, so you could talk to the actors and hear what the director was saying."

The movie tells the inspirational real-life story of the Westside Little League All-Stars from Fort Worth, Texas, that in 2002, became the unlikely champs of their own district and went on to eventually represent the U.S. Southwest Region. Kinnear, who plays head coach Jon Kelly, dedicated the team's postseason run to Bobby Ratliff, a father dying of cancer, who is played by Wilson.

Labatt Park, which is the oldest continually operating baseball grounds in the world, was transformed into the Howard J. Lamade stadium in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where the 2002 Little League World Series was played. Filming was done at the location in July 2023.

While Tyler and Cameron Wilson enjoyed the experience of being part of the film, they admitted they didn't get the acting itch. When asked by CBC News if they wanted to be ball players or actors, the responded, "ball players, all day." 

Special screenings of You Gotta Believe are being hosted by Cineplex Silvercity in London's north end on Friday, when the film debuts everywhere.