Sony Pictures Classics is on the verge of acquiring theatrical rights for the Spanish-language film "Sugar" says The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie centers on Miguel "Sugar" Santos, a pitching prospect from the Dominican Republic who is brought to the U.S. to play for a major league baseball team. Once here, however, he struggles to adapt and ends up taking a different path than he had first hoped.

Television rights would remain with HBO, but the status of home video rights is unclear.

Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden ("Half Nelson") direct the feature. The pair are currently working on an adaptation of the quirky novel "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" for Scott Rudin and Miramax.