‘The Dink’: Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen and Ed Harris Lead Apple TV’s Summer Comedy, Premiering July 24

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Feb 3

A washed-up tennis prodigy, a pickleball war, and a midlife reckoning collide in Apple TV’s crowd-pleasing summer comedy.

Apple Original Films has set a global premiere date for The Dink, a new summer comedy starring Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen and Ed Harris, which will debut exclusively on Apple TV+ on Friday, July 24, 2026.

The announcement was made during the 2026 Apple TV Press Day, with Johnson and Steenburgen unveiling the first official details about the film.

Johnson stars as Dusty Boyd, a once-promising tennis prodigy whose life has stalled out into coaching unruly kids at his father’s suburban country club. Dusty’s father, Chuck (Ed Harris), is entrenched in a personal crusade against the newest threat to tradition sweeping the club: pickleball. Desperate for approval and clinging to a version of himself that no longer exists, Dusty backs his father’s vendetta—until an old injury resurfaces and ends his ability to play tennis altogether.

Forced into rehab and facing an identity crisis, Dusty reluctantly picks up a pickleball paddle. What begins as an act of defiance turns into something unexpected, especially after he’s partnered with Candace (Mary Steenburgen), whose charm and perspective slowly pull him out of his spiral. As Dusty straddles two worlds, he’s pushed to confront unresolved failures, a lifelong rivalry with tennis legend Andy Roddick—playing himself—and the question of who he wants to be when the game he built his life around is gone.

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The ensemble cast includes Patton Oswalt, Chloe Fineman, Chris Parnell, Aaron Chen, and Ben Stiller, who also produces the film.

Directed by Josh Greenbaum, The Dink is positioned as a modern underdog comedy, blending sports satire with character-driven humor. The film is produced by Stiller and John Lesher for Red Hour Films, alongside Rob Paris and Mike Witherill for Rivulet Entertainment. Johnson also serves as a producer. The screenplay was written by Sean Clements, with executive producers Rick Steele, Clements, Greenbaum, Joe Hardesty, Jonathan McCoy and Daniel Crosser.

The Dink continues Apple TV’s push into star-driven original films designed for broad summer appeal, pairing recognizable talent with accessible, comedy-forward storytelling.