Cuban baseball superstar Yasiel Puig's life story is to be turned into a biopic by movie mogul Brett Ratner.

The filmmaker and his partners at RatPac Entertainment will produce an adaptation of Jesse Katz's recent Los Angeles Magazine piece, titled Escape from Cuba: Yasiel Puig's Untold Journey to the Dodgers.

The article, which appeared in the publication earlier this month (Apr14), details the Los Angeles Dodgers star's efforts to escape from his native country to seek sports fame and fortune in America.

Before realising his dream of playing in Major League Baseball, Puig was held captive by members of a murderous Mexican drug cartel after the wealthy businessman who agreed to cover the costs of his passage to the United States failed to pay up.

The high seas drama appears to have been worth it - Puig has landed a seven-year, $42 million contract to play for the Dodgers.