Jennifer Lopez is taking on a classic tale…
The 52-year-old Puerto Rican superstar’s Nuyorican Productions is teaming up with Skydance Television and Concord Originals to develop a limited series based on Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella.
The project, an original take on the musical, will be written by Rachel Shukert, who will also executive produce and serve as showrunner.
This marks the first project under the previously announced deal between the companies to develop a slate of original projects based on Concord’s vast catalog of musicals.
Lopez, along with partners Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina, will executive produce for Nuyorican Productions.
David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Bill Bost will executive produce for Skydance, alongside Sophia Dilley, Senior Vice President of Development and Production at Concord Originals, and Concord CEO Scott Pascucci.
“The story of Cinderella is as timeless now as ever,” said Bill Bost, President of Skydance Television. “This aspirational story of romance, unconventional families, and the surprising power of wishes has inspired audiences around the world for centuries, and we are thrilled to be working with Jennifer, Rachel, Concord, and The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization to bring our fresh take to the screen.”
“Rodgers & Hammerstein elevated the already magical story of Cinderella with their iconic music that has attracted legends of screen and stage throughout its many beloved, award-winning iterations over the years,” added Dilley. “Our partnership with Skydance and Nuyorican on this project is the first step of many towards our collective goal of championing timeless classics for a new generation and Rachel is the perfect voice to expand upon this story in a contemporary way.”
One of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s most popular titles, Cinderella was originally written for television, debuting in 1957 starring Julie Andrews, who was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance.
More than 100 million viewers saw the broadcast, more people than any other program in the history of television at the time.
Cinderella was re-made for TV in 1965 starring Lesley Ann Warren in the title role (photo above), Ginger Rogers and Walter Pidgeon as the King and Queen, and Celeste Holm as the Fairy Godmother. A further television remake followed in 1997 with Brandy as Cinderella, Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother, Bernadette Peters as the Stepmother, Whoopi Goldberg as the Queen, and Jason Alexander as Lionel.