Expository Writing

Abbi Jacobson of Broad City and Will Graham of Mozart in the Jungle are set to write and produce a comedy series for Amazon Studios based on Penny Marshall's A League of Their Own. Almost thirty years after the hit film's release, Amazon Studios is developing a half-hour comedy series that will explore the true story of the Rockford Peaches through a modern lens. Released in 1992, the original movie follows the rise of an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League when World War II threatened the future of Major League Baseball.

Batting with an all-star cast including Geena Davis, Madonna, Garry Marshall, and Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own addresses inequality and discrimination with laughter and tears. As for the reboot, it's still early in development and most details are unclear, though we can get a sense of the project from its official log line: 

According to Lesley Goldberg of The Hollywood Reporter, the project will move forward with the blessings of Marshall and Davis-- as requested by Jacobson and Graham-- and will be produced by Sony TV, whose Columbia Pictures produced the original. In this way, the new series honors its source material, though it plans to stray from the characters that audiences know and love. CBS notably attempted to continue the story on the small screen with Megan Cavanagh and Tracy Reiner reprising their roles in 1993, one year after the film's release, but the show only ran for three episodes.

Goldberg further states that the developing series is part of Amazon Studios’ push to produce more broad comedies, to be executed by proven talent like Graham and Jacobson. Will Graham co-founded The Onion News Network in 2007, and ten years later launched his Field Trip production company in conjunction with Amazon Studios. Abbi Jacobson created, produced, and starred in Comedy Central’s Broad City, proving that the half hour comedy series is a format she’s comfortable in. 

As a feminist comedy, A League of Their Own is a unique flavor of sports movie that largely stands alone. As for how the new series will compare to other sports comedies like Netflix’s GLOW or topical comedies like FX’s Atlanta, that remains unclear. Audiences can only hope that it will deliver a cast lovable enough and lines memorable enough to rival the original.

As of yet there’s no release date, but production is underway. With strong support from television giants and exceptional talent, the new series looks promising. For now, fans young and old will have to be patient and hope that Amazon Studios hits it out of the park.