Those who only know Hugh Jackman as the adamantium-clawed Wolverine have been selling themselves short. He's quite the showman, a star of both stage and screen, and as we heard in Les Miserables the guy has quite a set of pipes. Even before that film hit screens Jackman has been developing The Greatest Showman on Earth, a musical centered on P.T. Barnum, but it's never been able to get off the ground. Now that's finally about to change.
Deadline reports the film will go into production next summer with TV commercials director Michael Gracey (Disney's cancelled Order of the Seven) still on board to direct. Some are calling this Hollywood's first original musical in 22 years although I would argue that Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! counts as a new work. The most recent draft of the screenplay was penned by Jonathan Tropper (This is Where I Leave You) after an initial script by Bill Condon (Chicago), with original songs provided by Justin Paul & Benj Pasek (Tony award nominees for The Christmas Story), Bonnie McKee, Jake Shear and Brian Lapin.
The story would focus on famous ring master P.T. Barnum's creation of the three-ring circus, while also dealing with his infatuation with a Swedish opera singer. After so long in development it's curious that 20th Century Fox chooses now to move forward on this. Sure, Jackman is the guy at the center of their powerful X-men franchise and keeping him happy is a top priority. But there are a couple of big, star-studded musicals on the way in Annie and Into the Woods, and if those fail (they won't) we may see Fox get cold feet.
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