The animated version of doping accused baseball star Alex Rodriguez, voiced by himself, reportedly may be cut out of the children's film 'Henry and Me' following his involvement in one of baseball's biggest drug scandals.
According to New York Daily News, the film's executive producer Ray Negron, a long-time advisor to the Rodriguez's team New York Yankees, stated that the film's investors might get another character to replace Rodriguez's.
However, Negron admitted that they have not 'pulled the plug' yet on Rodriguez's character, saying that although he 'cares about' Rodriguez, he has a job to do, adding that he is confident that Rodriguez will understand even though he has not discussed with the player yet about the proposed edits.
The report also said that the final version of the film would edit out the animated Rodriguez and may replace his character with former Japanese baseball star Hideki Matsui, who has done some voiceovers for the film.
Negron also said that excising Rodriguez is a necessary step despite the cost in order to maintain the film's integrity and message, 'which is to keep it about the kids', with the report adding that the investors of the film are concerned with Rodriguez's off-field woes impacting the marketability and image of the film for his character to remain.
However, the report mentioned that during a screening of 'Henry and Me', Rodriguez's character was still part of the film and its narrative, adding that Rodriguez comes up to bat during a crucial sequence and need a clutch hit to send the opposing team into the playoffs
The report also said that Rodriguez's character later visits the main character, a young boy named Jack, in the hospital while he is recovering from cancer treatment, adding that film chronicles the journey of Jack, who is battling cancer and who ends up meeting many of the Yankees' legendary players.
