A little more than a year ago, it was announced that Paramount was beginning work on a new “Grease” prequel film. While there wasn’t much known as far as who would helm the film or who might lead the cast, it was revealed that “Summer Lovin’” would take the story of the “Grease” lead characters’ first meeting and their seasonal romance. But now, it appears that the film is not only still in development but took a huge step towards beginning production with Brett Haley coming aboard to direct.
READ MORE: ‘Grease’ Prequel ‘Summer Loving’ Will Stretch A 4-Minute Song Into A 2-Hour Movie
According to Deadline, Haley is set to helm “Summer Lovin’” for Paramount, serving not only as a prequel to “Grease” but a potential new franchise for the studio. As the title suggests, the film gets its plot from the song of the same name from the popular musical. The story will follow Sandy, an upstanding good girl, who meets Danny, a trouble-maker from the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak. The two disparate teens meet and fall in love over the summer before going back to their regular high school lives. Little do they know, they happen to be going to the same school.
Haley is fairly new to filmmaking but has been prolific over the past half-decade. He really broke out with 2015’s “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” followed by “The Hero” in 2017 and the critical darling “Heart Beats Loud” in 2018. Haley’s most recent film is last year’s Netflix teen romance, “All the Bright Places.” He’s currently wrapping up work on another film, “Sorta Like a Rock Star.”
READ MORE: HBO Max To Bring Back ‘Grease’ In A New Streaming Musical Spin-Off Series, ‘Rydell High’
As mentioned, “Summer Lovin’” is not only expected to be a prequel but also a new potential franchise. But that’s not the only “Grease” spin-off that is being planned. Back in October, it was revealed that HBO Max is planning a series set at the film’s fictional high school, titled “Rydell High.” It’s unclear if these two projects will share any personnel or cast and if this will lead to the much-needed “Grease” Cinematic Universe.
It’s unclear when Paramount is hoping for production to begin on the new prequel and when fans might see it on the big screen. But “Summer Lovin’” appears to be moving ahead, regardless.