‘A League of Their Own’: Who Will Join the Cast of the Amazon Original Series?
Amazon is ready to play ball. The streaming giant, who is currently winning over audiences with its original content, will be taking aim at women’s baseball, with a fresh take on the beloved 1992 film, A League of Their Own. If you were hoping to see Dottie Hinson, Kit Keller, and Marla Hooch take the field, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Amazon’s take on the series will bring an entirely new cast of characters to television screens across the globe. Don’t give up on the series just yet. The original content, which is currently filming in Southern California, has a pretty star-studded cast thus far. Whether or not the new characters will endear themselves to fans of the 1992 movie remains to be seen, though.
What storyline will A League of Their Own follow?
The 1992 flick followed the lives of the Rockford Peaches as they became the stars of the recently introduced All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. With the stock of young male athletes off at war, baseball scouts were tasked with handpicking female baseball players to craft a league to entertain fans. A disgraced baseball legend, Jimmy Dugan, is pushed into coaching a team, and in doing so, he develops a strong relationship with the women he begrudgingly is forced to mentor.
The film was as much about baseball as it was about the interpersonal relationship between teammates, families, and the everchanging cultural landscape of the United States during the 1940s. That was entirely by the design of Penny Marshall, the acclaimed director. Marshall, who died in 2018, has nothing to do with the upcoming series, but several former female players are signed on as consultants.
For the Amazon series, fans will watch as women from all walks of life come together to help the newly formed league get off the ground. Amazon promises to incorporate the changing landscape of American culture into the storyline. The series will start up during the leagues inaugural season, but little else is known about the series’ plot.
Who will be joining the cast?
While much of the show’s plot is being kept secret, several key members of the cast have been confirmed. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Abbi Jacobson is signed on to take on the role of Carson Shaw, a catcher. Jackson is best known for her role in Broad City. D’Arcy Carden, famed for her role in The Good Place, will portray Greta, an adventurous and wild first basewoman.
Chantè Adams will join the cast as Max, a pitcher. Gbemisola Ikumelo, of Sex Education fame, is set to play Max’s best friend, Clance. Kelly McCormick, Roberta Caolindrez, and Priscilla Delgado will all join the cast as well.
Will the original content be a homerun for Amazon?
While fans of the original movie are excited to see a reimagined series, this one can really go either way. For true fans of the film, the loss of the beloved characters and the way the relationships between them propelled the film forward, may be too much to look past. It might not be a bad thing, though. There is a reason that Amazon is choosing to stray from the original; a series adaptation of the movie has already been tried, and it failed.
Back in 1993, a series, firmly based on the film, aired on CBS, but it only lasted five episodes before it was canned due to poor ratings. Amazon’s attempt to bring it back to life will be a “modern” take on the movie, according to Variety. However, the series will still be set in 1943. Amazon has had significant success with period content in recent years. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, for example, is set in 1958.
