Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s The Sound of Music is one of the most beloved musicals of all time, so Carrie Underwood, producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan and the rest of the cast and crew putting together NBC’s live broadcast this week have a lot of expectations to meet. Meron and Zadan, who produced this year’s Oscars and NBC’s Smash, have told fans of the 1965 Julie Andrews film to relax. They’re not remaking the movie, but are actually producing the original Broadway show.

“We are not doing a remake of the movie,” Meron told USA Today this weekend. Instead, they are going back to the source, the 1959 Broadway smash. “We would never do a remake, because there's no reason to - the movie is perfect.”

To underscore the importance of the show’s Broadway roots, Zadan and Meron have brought in top talent behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera. They picked members of their 2011 How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying revival team, including director Rob Ashford and musical director David Chase. Ashford will co-direct the performance with Beth McCarthy-Miller.

Although Underwood has been grabbing headlines since she was cast last year, he co-stars are no slouches either. True Blood star Stephen Moyer, who will play Captain Von Trapp, starred in Cabaret in London. Laura Benanti played Maria (Underwood’s role) in the 1998 Sound of Music revival and will be playing Von Trapp’s first love interest. Tony winners Audra McDonald and Christian Borle also have roles.

Although Underwood has no theater experience, the American Idol winner was their first pick for Maria. “We spent several hours just talking with her, about how she saw the project and what she would do,” Zadan told USA Today. “And at the end of the lunch we called (NBC Entertainment chairman) Bob Greenblatt, and we said, 'She's it. This is the way to go.'"

There was some backlash to the casting choice, but when Andrews herself gives a stamp of approval, you know Underwood could do it after all.

“We like to think of our production as a companion piece to the film,” Meron explained, adding that they hope the show can stand on its own. “ After all, there never would have been the movie if there hadn't been this show."

NBC’s The Sound of Music airs on Thursday at 8 p.m. and will be live on the East Coast.

image: NBC