Looks like we’ll be singing good morning to Baltimore one more time!
Hairspray has been announced as the next live musical by NBC following a huge success with their recent live production of The Wiz, which aired this past December.
Bob Greenblatt, NBC Chairman, had confirmed the news at the network’s Television Critics Association presentation. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who have served as executive producers for previous years productions, will be returning.
Zadan and Meron were also both previously producers for Hairspray‘s movie adaptation staring Nikki Blonsky and Zac Efron, which came out in 2007.
“I’m happy to say that we are hopefully going to be produce a live new movie of Hairspray next December,” Greenblatt said during the presentation.
NBC starting airing live productions of musicals in 2013 with a production of The Sound of Music starring Carrie Underwood as Maria von Trapp. The following year, NBC aired a production of Peter Pan starring Allison Williams and Christopher Walken as Peter Pan and Captain Hook, respectively.
The Wiz was seen by 11.1 million viewers, growing from Peter Pan‘s 9.2 million viewers, and starred Shanice Williams (along with an incredible fierce ensemble cast) in her breakout role as Dorothy.
Casting for NBC’s production of Hairspray has not been announced and the date has not been set, but it is to be expected to premiere in December based on previous productions’ air dates.
Greenblatt, however, says that he is not trying to get the actors from the 2007 movie adaptation back, although he would consider taking on John Travolta.
“I don’t think we’re going to try to replicate the movie. We want to do a new version of it. Sure, we’d take John Travolta. He did it. I don’t think that would be a possibility, but we’d be thrilled to have John Travolta,” he said.
The news of a Hairspray adaptation comes after many reports of NBC considering The Music Man as the next musical.
A formal announcement with more details about the musical is expected to be made soon.
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