It's upfront season, which means that for the last two weeks we've had never-ending news on renewals, cancellations, and pickups. But for the musical theater candle burning inside me, one announcement shines the brighest:
FOX revealed earlier today that it has acquired the rights to put on the 1996 groundbreaking musical RENT as a live television musical, following the NBC tradition since 2013.
Few other details have been announced, like an air date or any casting, but it followed their previous announcement that they will be producing A Christmas Story this December. Both shows will be produced by veteran Marc Platt, who was also behind the 2016 hit and Carly Rae-Jepsen vehicle Grease:Live!
The developing news are sure to start a cultural conversation. The show originally garnered a lot of attention for its raw depiction of AIDS and sexual identity, and the live musicals produced before have been thematically tame (with the exception of the ill-received Rocky Horror reboot). Its casting should also spark some interesting buzz, as it famulously contains many characters of color, different sexual orientations, and gender identities. It will be interesting to see how it translates into broadcast television.
So, while we wait for more, who would you cast in this production?