Pop's share of the team and the Knights advance to the World Series. Later, back in Nebraska, Iris looks on as Hobbs plays catch with his son in the same field where he and his father once played. Cast Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs Paul Sullivan Jr. as Young Roy Hobbs Robert Duvall as Max Mercy Glenn Close as Iris Gaines Rachel Hall as Young Iris Gaines Kim Basinger as Memo Paris Wilford Brimley as "Pop" Fisher Barbara Hershey as Harriet Bird Robert Prosky as The Judge Richard Farnsworth as "Red" Blow Joe Don Baker as "The Whammer" Darren McGavin as Gus Sands (uncredited) Michael Madsen as Bartholomew "Bump" Bailey John Finnegan as Sam Simpson Alan Fudge as Ed Hobbs Ken Grassano as Al Fowler Mike Starr as Boone Mickey Treanor as "Doc" Dizzy Jon Van Ness as John Olsen Anthony J. Ferrara as Coach Wilson George Wilkosz as Bobby Savoy Robert Rich III as Ted Hobbs Sibby Sisti as Pirates Manager Production Malcolm Kahn and Robert Bean acquired the rights to Bernard Malamud's 1952 novel The Natural in 1976. Phil Dusenberry wrote the first adaptation. In October 1981, Roger Towne, a Columbia Pictures story editor and brother of Robert Towne, quit to produce and write the screenplay, with Bean set to direct and Kahn co-producing. In 1983, newly formed Tri-Star Pictures acquired the rights to the film adaptation, its first production. It was Robert Redford's first acting role in three years. The film's producers stated in the DVD extras that the film was not intended to be a literal adaptation of the novel, but was merely "based on" the novel. Malamud's daughter said on one of the DVD extras that her father had seen the film, and his take on it was that it had "legitimized him as a writer." Darren McGavin was cast late in the process as gambler Gus Sands and was uncredited in the film. Due to a disagreement, he chose not to be credited, though later Levinson wanted to credit him and McGavin said no. Levinson stated on the DVD extras for the 2007 edition that because there had been too little time during post-production to find a professional announcer willing and able to provide voice-over services, Levinson recorded that part of the audio track himself. Two-thirds of the scenes were filmed in Buffalo, New York, mostly at War Memorial Stadium, built in 1937 and