With a movie boasting the title “The Greatest Showman,” it makes sense that it will grab as starry a cast as possible. The project, which has been in the works for years, has Hugh Jackman set to star once he’s done his final comic book duties on “The Wolverine 3.” And he’s got a three-time Oscar nominee, and uh, the star of “Neighbors” and “Dirty Grandpa” joining him in the film (presumably the latter to bring in the millennials).
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Michelle Williams and Zac Efron are gearing up to get under the big tent of the movie, set to be directed by Michael Gracey, making his feature film debut. The live-action musical will tell the story of P.T. Barnum and his journey in creating the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The movie now has Michael Arndt (“Little Miss Sunshine,” “Toy Story 3”) working on the script, but one that has seen Jenny Bicks, Bill Condon and Jonathan Tropper all take a stab at it over the years. Let’s hope that’s been in the name of getting things perfect, and not varying ideas about what the movie should be about (at one point, it was said to focus on Barnum’s romance with Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind).
“The Greatest Showman” opens on Christmas Day 2017, and will likely erase the memory of Jackman and Williams’ previous film together, the 2008 thriller “Deception.” [Deadline]