Former WNBA star Sue Bird and ex-U.S. Women’s Soccer captain Megan Rapinoe have teamed up with Jeff Wachtel’s Future Shack Entertainment to turn Meryl Wilsner’s novel Cleat Cute into a scripted series.
Bird and Rapinoe’s production company A Touch More and Future Shack have optioned the book and are in development with the project. No network is attached.
The book, which was published by Macmillan last year, is described as a mix of Ted Lasso and A League of Their Own.
It follows two soccer teammates, who are at odds before falling in love as their team gears up for the World Cup.
Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women’s National Team for ten years, even though she’s only 26. But when she’s sidelined with an injury, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot. 22-year-old Phoebe is everything Grace isn’t—a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become teammates with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival.
Phoebe Matthews is too focused on her first season as a professional soccer player to think about seducing her longtime idol. But when Grace ends up making the first move, they can’t keep their hands off of each other.
As the World Cup approaches and Grace works her way back from injury, a miscommunication leaves the women with different perspectives on their relationship. But they’re on the same page on the field, realizing they can play together instead of vying for the same position. With every tackle the tension between them grows, and both players soon have to decide what’s more important—being together or making the roster.
A Touch More’s Bird, Rapinoe, and Camille Bernier-Green, the company’s head of development, will executive produce alongside Wilsner on the television adaptation.
A Touch More was set up under the Togetherxr brand and Cleat Cute is its first foray into scripted television. The company was behind ESPN’s 30 for 30 podcast Pink Card.
Future Shack is behind series including Fox’s Murder in a Small Town and The CW and Roku’s Good Cap/Bad Cop.
“We are thrilled to be working with Future Shack to bring Meryl Wilsner’s wonderful book to life. Having spent most of our lives on teams, we want to celebrate the ways in which relationships, both romantic and platonic, are organically created through sports. Cleat Cute will not shy away from the messiness, occasional frustration, and undeniable beauty that come with loving the game and the players within it,” said Bird and Rapinoe.
“Sports is a universal language and breeding ground for world class storytelling. As women’s sports captivate audiences around the globe, we’re proud to partner with two of the most iconic athletes of our time, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird, to bring Meryl Wilsner’s delightful world to life in a bold, sexy and fun ensemble show,” added Future Shack CEO Jeff Wachtel,.
A Touch More is represented by UTA. Film & TV rights for Meryl Wilsner are represented by Katherine Curtis of New Leaf Literary & Media.
