Cleat Cute becomes a series

Amazon MGM Studios is developing Playing the Field, a television series based on Meryl Wilsner’s 2023 soccer romance Cleat Cute. (deadline.com) Deadline reported on April 13 that Sarah Tapscott will write, executive produce, and serve as showrunner. Tapscott’s previous credits include The Sex Lives of College Girls, The Big Leap, and New Girl. (deadline.com; imdb.com) The project had been in motion since April 17, 2024, when Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe’s company A Touch More joined Future Shack Entertainment to acquire screen rights to Wilsner’s novel. At that stage, no network or streamer was attached. (thewrap.com; variety.com) That changed this week with Amazon MGM’s involvement, which moved the adaptation from a rights deal into a studio-backed development project. Deadline also reported the series is using a new title, Playing the Field. (deadline.com) Wilsner’s novel was published by St. Martin’s Griffin on September 19, 2023, and was billed as a sapphic rivals-to-lovers sports rom-com. Bookseller listings and the author’s site describe it as a story about two women’s soccer teammates whose romance unfolds as their team prepares for the World Cup. (kobo.com; merylwilsner.com; amazon.ca) Trade coverage in 2024 described Cleat Cute as A Touch More’s first scripted series project, linking the book directly to Bird and Rapinoe’s push into entertainment production after their playing careers. Future Shack said it was developing the series with A Touch More after the option deal closed. (variety.com; future-shack.com) No cast, episode count, or release date has been announced. For now, the clearest update is that the adaptation has a studio, a showrunner, and a new name. (deadline.com)