HBO Max To Bring Back 'Grease' In A New Streaming Musical Spin-Off Series, 'Rydell High'

Grease” is coming to your streaming devices. But we’re not just talking about the classic John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John film. And no, this isn’t an announcement about Paramount’s upcoming prequel, “Summer Lovin,” either. Nope, apparently, HBO Max saw the rise in teen dramas (“Riverdale“) and musicals (“High School Musical“) and figured that the platform needs to get involved in that action, as well, with the upcoming series “Grease: Rydell High.”

According to Variety, HBO Max has ordered a series that will serve as a spin-off from the popular film/musical and incorporate some new characters with some of your favorites in a new story involving the titular high school. Described as a “High School Musical”-type of experience, ‘Rydell High’ is going to be set in the ‘50s and find teens attending a school where it’s perfectly acceptable to just burst out into song, whether its about fast cars, making out with girls, or…uh, making out with girls in fast cars. I mean, that’s what “Grease” is about, right?

READ MORE: ‘Grease’ Prequel ‘Summer Loving’ Will Stretch A 4-Minute Song Into A 2-Hour Movie

“We’re going to build out the world of this show which everybody loves, in that musical style, and build basically a ‘High School Musical’ kind of experience that will be a big fun rock and roll musical,” WarnerMedia Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said.

Sarah Aubrey, head of content at HBO Max, said, “‘Grease’ is an iconic pop-culture phenomenon that works for every generation, and I’m thrilled that our friends at Paramount were excited about the idea of opening up the show and putting it on a larger canvas for a weekly series. It’s ‘Grease’ 2.0 but with the same spirit, energy and excitement you immediately think of when you hear any of these iconic songs. You’re the One That I Want!”

“’Grease’ is one of the most beloved Paramount titles and it’s a thrill to be re-imagining it for today’s audience with our good friends at Temple Hill and Picturestart,” added Paramount TV president Nicole Clemens. “When Bob Greenblatt called about bringing it to television, we knew we would be in the perfect hands because of our great working relationship with HBO Max and Bob’s genuine passion for musicals and ‘Grease’ in particular.”

As mentioned, Paramount is still working on a prequel to the film, but that won’t affect this new series. Obviously, it’s still too early to have a release date, but HBO Max is expected to launch sometime in spring 2020.