Paltrow to star in 'baseball Fever Pitch'

Gwyneth Paltrow is set to star in a US remake of Nick Hornby’s best seller Fever Pitch which switches the obsession with soccer to baseball.

The Oscar winner will play the long suffering girlfriend of a man who shows more devotion to the Boston Red Sox, rather than Arsenal FC in the original.

Shawn Levy is in talks to direct the new movie, which has been Americanised by comedy writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel.

The duo have developed the lead female character for Paltrow, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“I’m thrilled to be working with such great source material. I’ve been a Hornby fan for years,” said Levy.

Colin Firth starred in the 1997 British film based on Hornby’s acclaimed autobiography which tells of his infatuation with Arsenal.

A big screen adaptation of Hornby’s first novel, High Fidelity, also switched the setting from London to the US.