Amazon's A League of Their Own TV series to star Famalam's Gbemisola Ikumelo

Fresh from her BAFTA TV nomination, Famalam star Gbemisola Ikumelo has been cast in the TV series based on Madonna's 1992 baseball movie A League of Their Own (not to be confused with the Sky One sports panel show!).

It's being rebooted by Amazon Studios and created by Broad City actress Abbi Jacobson, who will also star, and Will Graham.

Amazon Studios called it a "reinterpretation of A League of Their Own [which] evokes the joyful spirit of Penny Marshall's beloved classic, while widening the lens to tell the story of an entire generation of women who dreamed of playing professional baseball."

The original movie, which starred Madonna, Geena Davis and Tom Hanks, was a story based on the formation of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which existed from 1943 to 1954 and was founded as a way of continuing professional baseball while male athletes were overseas fighting in World War II.

The new TV version of A League of Their Own series would take a "deeper look" at race and sexuality, reported EW, and follow the journey of a whole new ensemble of characters as they carve their own paths towards the field, both in the league and outside of it."
Co-starring with Sex Education actress Ikumelo will be Chanté Adams (Roxanne Roxanne), D'Arcy Carden (The Good Place), Gbemisola Ikumelo (Brain in Gear), Kelly McCormack (Killjoys), Roberta Colindrez (Vida), and Priscilla Delgado (The Protected).

Ikumelo received a nomination in last week's BAFTA TV Awards, but lost out to Fleabag's Sian Clifford in the Female Performance in a Comedy Programme category.

Vernon Sanders, Co-Head of Television, Amazon Studios, said: “There’s no crying in baseball, or at Prime Video.

“Will and Abbi have taken a classic movie, reimagining it for a new generation with new characters and their own fresh, modern vision on a timeless story of big dreams, friendship, love, and, of course, baseball. We’re so excited to partner with Sony to bring this emotional, exciting new series to our Prime Video customers around the world.”

The first season will consist of hour-long episodes, but no premiere date has been set on Amazon.

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