Sailing: Woody Harrelson in talks to join new musical from Rock of Ages creator

Woody Harrelson better start warming up his pipes. Deadline has reported that Woody Harrelson is in talks to join the cast of Sailing, an ensemble musical pitched by Rock of Ages creator Chris D’Arienzo.

Sailing will follow “a bunch of musicians in the late 1970s as they discover the smooth sounds and smoother lifestyle that is yacht rock, the soft rock music genre that took over FM radio during that era.” Chris D’Arienzo sold the pitch for Sailing to Lionsgate along with Jeremy Plager, who will develop and produce the project with Jonathan Levine, Gillian Bohrer, and Woody Harrelson. “Everything about the yacht rock vibe, ethos and lifestyle will be brought on board this fun and hilarious nostalgic comedy,” said Lionsgate president of production Erin Westerman. “We’re thrilled to be working with Jeremy, Jonathan, Gillian, Chris, and Woody, and we’re confident that it will not only have a phenomenal soundtrack, but it will also put you in a summertime mood.“

Chris D’Arienzo’s Rock of Ages received five Tony Award nominations in 2009, including Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, and more. It received a big-screen adaptation in 2012 starring Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin, and Bryan Cranston.

Woody Harrelson was recently seen starring alongside Kevin Hart in The Man from Toronto. The action/comedy revolves around “a case of mistaken identity after the world’s deadliest assassin, known as the ‘man from Toronto’ (Harrelson), and a stranger (Hart) run into each other at an Airbnb. Chaos soon follows as the assassin’s world comes crashing down on Hart.” You can check out a review from our own Chris Bumbray right here. Before Woody Harrelson gets his musical on, he’ll next be seen starring in The White House Plumbers. The HBO limited series tells the true story of how Watergate masterminds E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy accidentally toppled the Presidency they were zealously trying to protect.