ALCON TELEVISION GROUP ANNOUNCES LEAD ANDY ALLO AND SHOWRUNNER MIKE FLYNN FOR UPCOMING LIMITED SERIES, "THE EAGLES OF NEWARK"

Pilot To Be Directed By Anya Adams

LOS ANGELES, CA, MAY 1, 2025 - Actress and musician Andy Allo (Upload) will star as Effa Manley and writer-producer Mike Flynn (East New York) will serve as showrunner for the upcoming limited series The Eagles of Newark. The series is an adaptation of the critically acclaimed non-fiction book Queen of the Negro Leagues: Effa Manley and the Newark Eagles. The announcement was made by Alcon Television Group Co-Founders and Co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove.

Anya Adams (Black-ish, GLOW, Ginny & Georgia, Bridgerton, Yellowjackets) remains attached to direct the series.

Andy Allo, a multi-talented performer and singer-songwriter, has earned critical acclaim for her roles in Upload and Chicago Fire. She will take on the role of Effa Manley, the trailblazing civil rights activist and only woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Mike Flynn, best known as the creator and showrunner of CBS series East New York in addition to his work on Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Queen Sugar, brings extensive experience in character-driven, historically rich storytelling.

The series chronicles the dramatic efforts of Effa and her husband Abe as they embark upon a risky business venture - starting their own ball club in the raucous world of the Negro Baseball Leagues. Effa Manley, in addition to serving as the team's business manager, was a formidable social rights advocate whose impact extended far beyond baseball.

Producers will be taking the project to market shortly.

States Kosove and Johnson: "Effa Manley was a groundbreaking figure whose contributions to both baseball and civil rights history deserve to be told. With Mike Flynn at the helm and Andy Allo bringing Effa's story to life, we are more excited than ever to share this important piece of history."

States Allo: "Being attached to this project was a no brainer for me. Effa Manley had such a historical impact in the business of sports, and was a bold champion for equity for Black Americans and Black athletes. I'm honored and humbled to bring her story to life so audiences can learn about her legacy. Portraying Effa is truly the role of a lifetime."

States Flynn: "Living with the story of Effa and Abe Manley, along with the Newark Eagles, has been both uplifting and inspiring. Their legacy was cemented long ago, and yet here I am, still rooting for them. Hopefully, we'll be able to bring that same excitement to audiences. I couldn't be more honored to help craft this riveting and heartfelt series."

Allo, Flynn, Adams, Byron Motley, Jeffrey Miiller and Josh Green will executive produce The Eagles Of Newark alongside TwentyFive8's Caleeb Pinkett. Ben Roberts of Alcon Television Group secured the rights to the project and will also executive produce alongside Alcon's Kosove and Johnson. Ben Cook will produce.

Motley, son of Negro League Umpire Bob Motley, grew up hearing wild stories from his father about the Negro Leagues and Effa Manley. Co-author of his father's memoir 'The Negro Baseball Leagues,' Motley is also a renowned baseball historian.

Novelist James Overmyer is a baseball history author specializing in the Negro leagues. He is an editor of "Black Ball,' a scholarly journal of Black baseball history. He was a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame's 2006 special committee that voted to induct seventeen persons from the Negro leagues and the Black baseball period before the leagues were formed as members of the Hall.

Adams, Green, Motley, and Miiller are represented by The Gersh Agency. Adams is also repped by 3 Arts and attorney Ginsburg Daniels LLP. Flynn is represented by Gersh and Circle Management + Production. Allo is repped by Verve and Zero Gravity Management.

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