The latest musical to get the live television treatment is Grease, which will air on FOX in early 2016.
FOX and Paramount Television announced on Wednesday that the TV adaptation will be helmed by Tony Award-nominated director Thomas Kail (“Hamilton,” “In the Heights”), while veteran director Alex Rudzinski (“Dancing with the Stars”) will direct.
Titled GREASE: LIVE, the adaptation will star multi-talented performers Julianne Hough as “Sandy” (“Safe Haven,” “Rock of Ages”) and Vanessa Hudgens as “Rizzo” (Broadway’s “Gigi,” “Spring Breakers”).
“It’s such an amazing musical,” Hudgens said of the original on The View Tuesday morning. “Everyone loves it, everyone knows it. I love mixing it up, playing different characters that are challenging. So in order to go from Gigi to Rizzo, it’s going to take a definite shift in my mind. I’m excited for that. It’s always fun to have a challenge.”
GREASE: LIVE is scheduled to air on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, at 7pm on FOX.