"The Sound of Music" is coming to NBC. The network will partner with "Smash" producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to air a live broadcast of the classic musical based on the original Broadway show.
"It is our supreme pleasure to broadcast -- live -- a new version of the seminal Broadway musical 'The Sound of Music' for a whole new generation," Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, said in a statement. "There used to be a tradition of broadcasting musicals live back in the 1950s and we're thrilled to do it once again with a musical that has been a family classic for five decades. There is no more talented and creative producing team than Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to bring Rodgers and Hammerstein's final -- and most beloved -- collaboration to network television in this groundbreaking live telecast."
This won't be a remake of the movie version, Zadan said in a press release. "What we want to do, instead, is to give audiences a completely fresh experience of this great Tony Award-winning stage musical in the form of a classic television event, combined with the spontaneity of a live performance." All actors will be singing live, there won't be lip-synching with pre-recordings, Zadan said.
Viewers can expect famous songs, including the title song, "Do-Re-Mi," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" and "My Favorite Things" along with songs from the Broadway show that aren't as well known.
No air date has been set and casting will begin immediately.