HBO Max originally ordered a TV spinoff of the mega-hit movie musical, GREASE, but now the project is moving from the streamer to the recently rebranded Paramount Plus.
Along with the move to Paramount Plus, the spinoff is also getting a new title. Originally ordered under the name Rydell High, the show will now be called Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Reportedly, new HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys wasn't as interested in keeping the series on the streamer and this opened the door for ViacomCBS to pick up the show with their own new streaming service, Paramount Plus.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies will feature an hour-long musical comedy format and will follow "how the infamous Pink Ladies (comprised of Sandy, Rizzo, Jan, Marty and Frenchy in the original movie) began and how the reverence, fear, and moral panic they sparked changed Rydell High forever." Despite the move to another streamer, Annabel Oakes is still on board as the creator of the project and she also serves as a writer and executive producer.
The series will also include several new songs and some of the more memorable tunes from the 1950s may also be featured. What will likely be missing are the familiar tunes from the popular movie musical. When the project was first ordered at HBO Max, producers were unable to acquire the rights to songs like "Grease Lightning" and "Summer Nights." All hope is not lost for the songs to possibly be featured because Paramount TV Studios is still trying to ink a deal to use the classic music.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is being executive produced by Picturestart and Temple Hill, the companies involved with a GREASE prequel movie that's also in the works. Titled SUMMER LOVIN', the Paramount Pictures project will be directed by Brett Haley using a screenplay penned by Leah McKendrick and will basically follow the story told in the classic GREASE song, "Summer Nights."
There is no set premiere date for Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies but Paramount Plus is slated to launch in early 2021. The streamer is currently in operation as CBS All Access, and its new name is part of a rebranding effort to make its name more globally recognizable. Are YOU all in for the new GREASE spinoff?