The Benchwarmers is a 2006 American sports-comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and starring Rob Schneider, David Spade, and Jon Heder. It is produced by Revolution Studios and Happy Madison Productions and is distributed by Columbia Pictures. It has developed a cult following over the years since its release, especially amongst baseball fans. In July 2018, Revolution Studios and Universal 1440 announced a direct-to-DVD sequel, titled Benchwarmers 2: Breaking Balls. The film was released on January 29, 2019, with Jon Lovitz reprising his role as Mel Carmichael. The rest of the cast consists of Chris Klein, Chelsey Reist, Lochlyn Munro, and Garfield Wilson.