Whether on stage or in film, Hugh Jackman has proven highly adapt at singing and dancing. Although he already starred in one big-screen musical, Les Miserables, it appears the 2012 musical was just the beginning. For he is gearing up to star in The Greatest Showman on Earth, the first original musical in 14 years, with a summer start eyed for the production.
According to Deadline, Fox is in the midst of budgeting and get deals together for the film to begin shooting. While the project has been in the works for years, Jackman's rave reviews for his work on the stage in The River appears to be getting the musical in the studio's primary mindset. It will be the first musical since 2001's Moulin Rouge not based on a pre-existing property or stage production.
This new musical will have Jackman starring as PT Barnum, the master showman, with first-time director Michael Gracey helming the film, which was first announced back in 2011. That should give a solid prospective as to how long the film has been in the works.
Last word on the film was that Bill Condon, the Oscar-winning writer/director behind Gods and Monsters, was rewriting the screenplay. An earlier draft of the script was written by The Big C and Big Hero 6 scribes Jenny Bicks and Jordan Roberts. Meanwhile, Tony-nominated writers Justin Paul & Benj Pasek, as well as Bonnie McKee, Jake Shear and Brian Lapin are writing the movie's songs.
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