Fox Broadcasting Company and Warner Horizon Unscripted Television have partnered with award-winning film, television and theater producer Marc Platt (Grease: Live, La La Land) on the live musical event A Christmas Story, inspired by the holiday classic feature A Christmas Story and the Tony Award-nominated Broadway production A Christmas Story: The Musical. The three-hour live television production of A Christmas Story will air this December on Fox.
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, recent Tony Award nominees for the musical Dear Evan Hansen, and lyricists of La La Land’s Academy Award-winning song, “City of Stars,” also scored A Christmas Story: The Musical, and will compose several new songs for the LIVE television event, with Jonathan Tolins and Robert Cary (Grease: Live) adapting the book. Here’s what David Madden, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company, had to say in his statement.
“A Christmas Story is one of the most beloved holiday films of all time – audiences have made a yearly ritual of re-watching it – and we are so thrilled to have Marc leading the charge in bringing the musical version of that film to television. The extraordinarily gifted Pasek and Paul were instrumental in transposing the movie to the stage, and we believe the transition to live television event will be just as entertaining for viewers.”
A Christmas Story: The Musical was nominated for three Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score (Pasek and Paul) and Best Book of a Musical. The original Broadway production of “A Christmas Story: The Musical” opened Nov. 19, 2012. Based on the writings of Jean Shepherd, the book was written by Joseph Robinette, with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Here’s what Mike Darnell, President, Warner Bros. Unscripted & Alternative Television, had to say in his statement.
“I can’t believe how incredibly lucky we are to have Marc Platt producing this iconic Christmas classic. Marc is the defining voice in this genre and it’s amazing to have this caliber of talent leading what is sure to be a new standard in live musical events.”
The musical was based on the motion picture A Christmas Story, written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Bob Clark, and the novel “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash” by Jean Shepherd. The now-classic 1983 feature film, which became a sleeper hit, has since taken on a new life, along with growing critical acclaim, to become a perennial holiday favorite beloved by families and kids of all ages.
A Christmas Story will be produced by Warner Horizon Unscripted Television. Marc Platt and Adam Siegel will executive-produce, with Jonathan Tolins and Robert Cary serving as co-executive producers and writers. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul will compose music and lyrics for the event. Platt is the Emmy Award-winning producer of Fox’s Grease Live. He is also an Academy Award-nominated producer, most recently for director Damien Chazelle’s La La Land and Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies. Platt has developed some of the most successful film, theater and television projects of the last 30 years. His film resume includes such titles as Legally Blonde, Into the Woods, Drive, Rachel Getting Married, Scott Pilgrim and Wanted. He is also the producer of the Broadway mega-hit Wicked, which has been seen by more than 50 million fans worldwide and globally has racked up $4 billion. A former film executive, Platt served as president of production for three movie studios, where he oversaw box office and critical successes, including Philadelphia, Rudy, As Good As It Gets, Legends of the Fall and The Silence of the Lambs.