Over the weekend, the iconic baseball film Field of Dreams celebrated its 25th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, Kevin Costner returned to the Iowa farm where the movie was filmed for the first time in eight years, bringing three of his children along. The actor and his young sons, Hayes, 5, and Cayden, 7, even played a game of catch on the famous ball field, which remains smack in the middle of the Iowa farm. Costner and fellow actors Timothy Busfield and Dwier Brown did a a Q&A with Bob Costas in front of the farmhouse. The celebration, which drew thousands of fans, also included a father-son catch on the diamond, a special nighttime screening of the movie right on the field, and a performance by Costner's band, Modern West.
It was quite a shindig for a film that cost chump change, in Hollywood terms. Budgeted at a mere $10 million, the movie earned more than $84 million worldwide and was nominated for three Academy Awards in 1989. It struck a national nerve, not just about baseball, but about relationships between fathers and sons and about following dreams, however crazy they may seem.
Over the years, some fun facts have been revealed about the film. For example, Kevin Costner was fresh off of his role in Bull Durham, so the producers thought that he wouldn't want to be in another baseball film and didn't originally offer the role of Ray Kinsella to him. According to reports, the part was offered to Tom Hanks, but Hanks passed on the role.
For more fun and interesting details about Field of Dreams, and to learn about two superstars who were extras in the movie, go to this story in Parade.