The planned prequel TV remake of the iconic adolescent musical film, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, has received its first teaser trailer from Paramount+. On April 6, it will be accessible through streaming.
The Rise of the Pink Ladies teaser gives us a sneak peek at the Pink Ladies’ journey from being misfits to become the trendiest female gang in Rydell High. Additionally, it draws attention to the relationship between the Pink Ladies and the T-Birds, the school’s self-described bad guys.
Creator Annabel Oakes (Atypical, Transparent), who runs the show, wrote the script for Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies and served as executive producer. Alethea Jones (Made for Love) will direct the pilot and two more episodes, and she will executive produce for Temple Hill with Marty Bowen and Adam Fishbach.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies
It is produced by Grace Gilroy, with executive production from Picturestart’s Erik Feig and Samie Kim Falvey. Jamal Sims provided the choreography, while Grammy-nominated executive music producer Justin Tranter provided the music.
Tranter, a Grammy-nominated composer and producer renowned for records by Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, and The Chicks, will create and executive produce all-new original music for the series. The musical portions for the series will be choreographed by Sims, whose work has been seen in When the Beat Drops, 13 The Musical, and RuPaul’s Drag Race. Director and producer Althea Jones (Made for Love, Dollface, Evil) will oversee the first episode.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Storyline
According to Oakes, the series would remark on both the ’70s and the ’50s from a 2023 viewpoint, while Grease the musical and the movie was “the 1970s commenting on the 50s.” The drama, which takes place 4 years prior to the events of the film, centers on four oddball college students who go on to create the Pink Ladies.
Star Marisa Davila said that the Pink Ladies in the new series would have all of the same issues as the Pink Ladies in the film, but Notartomaso added that there will also be fresh possibilities to explore tales about non-white and non-straight people. Tricia Fukuhara said that Nancy, one of her characters, would be coping with both the more recent trauma of having been a young lady in high school and the persistent trauma of being spent time in an internment camp.
The growth of the Pink Ladies, a group of blunt-speaking high school ladies made popular by Stockard Channing and Didi Conn in their respective roles as Rizzo and Frenchy, will be explored by viewers during the course of the series.
There will undoubtedly be lots of singing, dancing, romance, legendary clothes, and fights from the renegade gang, just as in the movie.
The show will take place four years before the original Grease, when “four fed-up outcasts try to have great times on their own aspects, sparking a moral panic that will change Rydell High forever,” according to a previous announcement from Paramount+.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Cast
Marisa Davila will play Jane, Cheyenne Isabel Wells will portray Olivia, Ari Notartomaso will portray Cynthia, Tricia Fukuhara will portray Nancy, Shanel Bailey will play Hazel, Madison Thompson will play Susan, Jonathan Nieves will play Richie, Jason Schmidt will play Buddy, and Maxwell Whittington-Cooper will play Wally. Assistant Principal McGee will also be played by legendary actress Jackie Hoffman. Sadly, thus far, neither of the original actors seems likely to return!
Jane is portrayed by Marisa Davila (Atypical), Olivia is played by newcomer Cheyenne Isabel Wells, Cynthia is played by Ari Notartomaso (Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin), Nancy is played by Tricia Fukuhara (Dante Falls), Hazel is portrayed by Shanel Bailey (The Equalizer), Susan is portrayed by Madison Thompson (Ozark), Richie is portrayed by Johnathan Nieves (Penny Dreadful: City (More character information was not readily available.)
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Music
While the majority of the cast members are relatively newcomers, the music and choreography feature some natural A-list talent. The songs are written by prolific author Justin Tranter, while the dance is choreographed by well-known artist Jamal Sims. Although not all of the songs are new, both have recognized the stresses of adding 30 new songs and dance routines to the Grease repertoire.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Teaser
The series incorporates music by Grammy-nominated musician and producer Justin Tranter and choreography by regular RuPaul’s Drag Race choreographer Jamal Sims.
The teaser also features a musical homage to the movie starring John Travolta and the late Olivia Newton-John by including a fragment of the title tune from a new update of the 1978 film’s original song, which was sung by Frankie Valli.
The release date for Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies
This spring, classes are in session. On April 6, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies will debut on Paramount+.