Jackman, Hathaway in New P.T. Barnum Musical

Man, that P.T. Barnum sure was a handsome dude. I mean, he's got Hugh Jackman playing him all of a sudden, so clearly, the sideshow genius must have been the sexiest man alive in his day. ...OK, actually, some sort of heavyset John C. Reilly mating with Paul Giamatti might be a better fit, but still. The Greatest Showman on Earth will be a new musical for Fox, a studio that Jackman knows very well. Jackman knows musicals backwards and forwards, so this is a smart move for the studio. The musical has developed out of Jackman's hosting duties of the Academy Awards. In addition to producers of that show working on the musical, one of the writers, Jenny Bicks, is working on the script and - surprise - Anne Hathaway, who shared a song and dance number on the Oscars, is being written into the role of singer Jenny Lind. That's the love story. Variety says you should get used to the Jackman-Hathaway sing-alongs; apparently, Hugh wants to remake Carousel with the Princess of Genovia, as well. Now this is a real trick for Fox, because while musicals have done well in recent years, they have had built-in audiences. Are we returning to the golden era of the musical, where they were commonplace every year? If this is a hit, I think that we are.

Comments

[frankyj]

Would it have been that bad to go with a John C. Reilly or Giamatti? I thought Reilly did a pretty good job in Chicago several years back.

[Get The Big Picture]

I agree. Not enough sizzle, though.

[SEAN]

WOW great news.... I love musicals and these 2 can actually sing...

Lookin forward to it