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Apparently, Grease is still the word.
E! News has confirmed HBO Max, the new streaming platform from WarnerMedia that will be home to the 10 seasons of Friends and a new Gossip Girl, has given a straight-to-series order for Grease: Rydell High. The new musical series is a live-action spinoff of the classic flick that starred Olivia Newton John and John Travolta.
According to a press blast, the new series is a reimagining of the movie and include some characters from the original. Additionally, the Grease series will still be set in the 1960s and feature musical performances of songs from that decade as well as original numbers. “It’s the peer pressures of high school, the horrors of puberty, and the rollercoaster of life in middle America with a modern sensibility that will bring it to life for today’s musical lovers,” HBO Max said in a release.
“Grease is an iconic pop-culture phenomenon that works for every generation, and I’m thrilled that our friends at Paramount were excited about the idea of opening up the show and putting it on a larger canvas for a weekly series,” Sarah Aubrey, head of original content for HBO Max, said in a statement. “This is high school and life in small-town USA told on the scale of a big rock’n’roll musical. It’s Grease 2.0 but with the same spirit, energy, and excitement you immediately think of when you hear any of these iconic songs.’You’re the One That I Want!'”
The series is produced by Paramount Television, the group behind Fox’s Grease: Live staging. Aaron Tveit, Julianne Hough, Vanessa Hudgens and Carly Rae Jepsen starred in Fox’s live staging of the fan-favorite musical.
Aside from Grease: Rydell High, a prequel to the 1978 movie is also in the works. Grease spawned a sequel, Grease 2, in 1982. Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield starred. Didi Conn was one of the original Grease cast members to return for the big screen sequel. Conn also appeared in Grease: Live.
In addition to Friends, HBO Max will be home to The Boondocks, all 12 seasons of The Big Bang Theory, new movies, a new series from Kaley Cuoco, Search Party and more.
“Grease is one of the most beloved Paramount titles and it’s a thrill to be re-imagining it for today’s audience with our good friends at Temple Hill and Picturestart. When Bob Greenblatt called about bringing it to television, we knew we would be in the perfect hands because of our great working relationship with HBO Max and Bob’s genuine passion for musicals and Grease in particular,” Nicole Clemens, president of Paramount Television, said in a statement.