news ‘Grease’ Prequel Series ‘Rise of the Pink Ladies’ Sets April Paramount+ Premiere — Watch Teaser

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Paramount+ is hoping its latest series will be the one that you want. Like greased lightnin’ (go greased lightnin’), the “Grease” prequel series “Rise of the Pink Ladies” is racing to the streamer on April 6, in time for you to binge it over those summer nights eventually. Paramount+ announced the news from their January 9 presentation for the Television Critic’s Association Winter press tour and, because there are worse things they could do, released a short teaser for the teen musical series to accompany it.

The series is a prequel to “Grease,” the 1978 film itself adapted from the 1971 stage musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Directed by Randal Kleiser, the movie was led by John Travolta and the late Olivia Newton-John as star-crossed greaser Danny Zuko and good girl Sandy Olsson, but the film became a cultural sensation (raking in $366.2 million at the global box office) thanks in part to the memorable supporting cast, especially the Pink Ladies girl gang led by Stockard Channing as the hard-edged Rizzo.

“Rise of the Pink Ladies” tells the origin story of the Pink Ladies, set in 1954 (four years before the original film) and chronicles how the original members of the group came to rule Rydell High. Marisa Davila, Cheyenne Isabel Wells, Ari Notartomaso, and Tricia Fukuhara play the four founding women of the Pink Ladies, while Shanel Bailey, Madison Thompson, Johnathan Nieves, Jason Schmidt, and Maxwell Whittington-Cooper play their various love interests and rivals in the high school ecosystem. Jackie Hoffman also stars in the series as Assistant Principal McGee, a role played in the original film by Eve Arden. The series was created by Annabel Oakes, who executive produces with Marty Bowen and Erik Feig.

“Rise of the Pink Ladies” will be the first extension of the “Grease” cinematic universe since 1982’s “Grease 2,” which featured an almost entirely new cast of characters and received negative reviews at the time, although it has since developed a devoted fanbase and helped launch Michelle Pfeiffer to stardom through her performance of “Cool Rider.” However, it is not the first “Grease”-themed television program; in addition to the well-received 2016 “Grease: Live!” production on Fox, there was also a 2007 NBC reality series “Grease: You’re the One That I Want!” that saw contestants compete for the roles of Danny and Sandy in a Broadway revival of the stage musical.

And “Grease” fever isn’t going away with “Rise of the Pink Ladies;” Paramount Pictures has another prequel to the original film in development titled “Summer Lovin’.” Focusing on the summer Danny and Sandy spent with one another before the events of the original movie, that prequel will be directed by Brett Haley from a script by Leah McKendrick.

If you’re hopelessly devoted to “Grease,” watch the teaser trailer for “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” below.

 
I think you're right about that. I'm not opposed to derivative works but I wish they'd put more thought into it. How about this; take great songs and make movies out of them!
Hotel California by the Eagles
Copacabana by Barry Manilow
Operation Mind Crime by Queensryche
Space Oddity by David Bowie
Maggie May by Rod Stewart
99 Luft Balloons by Nina
Brandy by Looking Glass

The list goes on and on...
 
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Squeeze Hollywood, SQUEEEEZE! We need that next fresh Poo!
Poo costume.jpg
https://www.blogdehumor.com/wp-content/2009/04/turdtwister.jpg?x99400
 
Yeah but people love when it works out: Cobra Kai, Wednesday, The Mandalorian... so, why not give it a shot when it can be so successful?
 
I've given up nearly on watching any/all series' by this point, regardless of technical or story quality. They suffer from Never-gonna-end syndrome. They've all become cliffhanger bait. Mini-series are fine, though. I mean get to the point already! Or perhaps better said, "Shit or get off the pot!"
 
Yeah, that's a great point. No series really seems to grab my attention anymore. If it did, I don't think i'd even notice the runtime.
 
My objections to the Pink Ladies has to do with what they will probably do with it. Will we find out that Rizzo is gay or from a broken family. In other words, will they keep the 50's feel to it or will they infuse it with social issues? Grease was fun! If they can't reproduce that then why bother.
 
The good ole' retro-fitted remakes. Take an existing IP and force current social events into it and away we go!
 
A lot of issues have been around for centuries but many of us have been able to avoid seeing them because they haven't impacted us directly. I love that they're now getting the attention they deserve - and the lesbian angle in the Amazon series version of "A League of Their Own" is a great example of that. But there are still plenty of things around for those who don't want to look.
 
There have been gay people from the beginning of humanity. I think having her be CLOSETED and gay would be a terrific story line, and in keeping with the 50's.
Agreed, but remember when Rizzo thought she was pregnant? They kept it light. Not that it's not a serious issue then and now but they didn't let it detract from the feel good feeling of the movie. Today it would become a central theme.
 
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