In January at AfterEllen, we start getting excited about all the women loving women content expected for the incoming year. 2022 is no exception, and this morsel hits a home run. Yeah, I did that.
We got wind that Abbi Jacobson (who recently celebrated her one year anniversary with girlfriend Jodi Balfour) was working with Sony and Amazon to co-create a series reboot of A League of Their Own last year. Cue patiently waiting in anticipation. The original 1992 film is on my top five movie list and I swoon at babes sliding into bases. Guess who’s sliding back into the remake? Rosie O’Donnell.
O’Donnell’s character was a fan favorite in the original, although we won’t be seeing Doris again. “I’m playing a bartender in one of the scenes at the local gay bar,” O’Donnell divulged. “I had a great experience on A League of Their Own. I love the Broad City women and when I was told [Abbi] was doing League, she called me up and said, ‘Ro, would you do it?’ And I said, ‘In a minute.’ After viewing the pilot, O’Donnell said it “was just beautiful, really well done.” It looks like we’re in for a real treat.
The new series promises to explore sexuality in ways the original film did not. “People that love the movie, I think you’re going to love it. You still have the movie, the movie’s going to be right over here for you to enjoy. We’re not trying to ruin the movie. We’re just trying to explore a little bit more about what was really going on with these women and dive a little deeper,” pledges Jacobson.
Keeping in line with the fresh adaptation, the pilot was directed and executive produced by lesbian filmmaker Jamie Babbit (But I’m a Cheerleader & The Itty Bitty Titty Committee.) Jacobson stars in the series, as does Roberta Colindrez.
A beloved classic with a novel spin, women centered storyline, serious starpower and lesbian representation give this project all the markings of a soon-to-be cherished gem. There’s no crying in baseball, unless you’re me and you’re crying because this sounds too good to be true.
A League of Their Own series will stream on Amazon sometime this year- no specified date yet beyond 2022. This project was first announced in 2020 — now where the heck is it? Thanks, Covid. The good news is A League of Their Own is listed as post-production. Although we’ve seen a delay, it’s clear that the series is filmed and will be making it’s way to our screens.
