A new spinoff series of the 1978 musical film Grease is in the works. The new series, titled Grease: Rydell High, is the latest addition to the lineup for the upcoming streaming service HBO Max.
The original Grease film, developed by Paramount, was nominated for an Oscar and five Golden Globes, and is still often listed among the best movie musicals of all time. The long-lasting popularity of the film makes Grease solid choice for adaptation, as Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at HBO Max, notes. “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.” Aubrey went on to say that Grease: Rydell High would keep a similar tone to the 1978 film: “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.”
According to a report from Deadline, the new Grease series will feature new characters, but will also include some of the original characters from the 1978 film. “It’s still the 1950s, a world that rocks with big musical numbers from the period combined with new original songs as well. 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.”
Grease: Rydell High will be produced by Paramount Television, which also produced Grease: Live in 2016. The series will be executive produced by Erik Feig’s company Picturestart and Temple Hill, known for producing Love, Simon. An episode count and premiere date for the series have not yet been announced.