Moneyball, the movie adaption of Michael Lewis’ best-selling book, is nominated for six Oscars, including best picture.  A remarkable showing considering the film almost didn’t get made.

On the brink of this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, Lewis tells Jacob Weisberg why he thought his baseball book would never work as a movie, and he describes the real-life protagonist Billy Beane’s reaction to seeing himself portrayed on the big screen by Brad Pitt.

Watch Part 2 with Michael Lewis, where he discusses repairing the culture of Wall Street.

Watch Part 3 with Michael Lewis, where he answers Slate reader questions about his book characters and whether the sports bubble is ready to burst.

Watch Part 4 with Michael Lewis, where he explains how he turns seemingly irrelevant details into fascinating stories.

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