Netflix to Develop Film About 1999 U.S. Women's World Cup Team

Netflix has scored the rights to develop Jere Longman's book The Girls of Summer: The US Women’s Soccer Team and How It Changed The World into a feature film.

The movie will follow the 1999 U.S. women's national team on its journey to winning the Women's World Cup, where Brandi Chastain scored the winning penalty kick to break a 0–0 tie vs. China. A shocked Chastain fell to her knees and ripped her shirt off after the historic moment, which Sports Illustrated captured with its cover photo for the July 19, 1999, issue. The victory catapulted the iconic team, which also included stars Mia Hamm, Carla Overbeck, Julie Foudy, Briana Scurry, into the global spotlight.

"Watching the USA team that summer made me forget I had no money and little more than a dream to feed me. That team, that goal, and Brandi Chastain's unforgettable reaction–in which she ripped off her shirt and dropped to her knees in astonishment–made me believe I could do anything, and do it my way," Netflix films vice president Tendo Nagenda said in a statement.

Liza Chasin will produce the Netflix film along with Ándale Productions' Hayley Stool and Ross Greenburg of Ross Greenburg Productions. Stool optioned the book and secured life rights to eight players from the U.S. women's soccer team. Marla Messing, president and CEO of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, will work with Jill Mazursky and Krista Smith as executive producers.