Jackman’s Great Return To Musicals
In a world where superheroes fly across our screens regularly and franchises have become the holy grail of Hollywood, original standalone movies walk a dangerous tight rope, risking a potentially fatal fall. However, if the first trailer for THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is anything to go by, then Hugh Jackman's return to the world of musicals will bask in the spotlight rather than plummet to box office doom.
Directed by Michael Gracey, the P.T. Barnum biopic features a stunning cast of musical performers who will bring the greatest show on Earth to life. Jackman's P.T. Barnum will be accompanied the likes of Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, and Zendaya to bring this incredible story to life.
Jackman's Oscar-winning performance in LES MISERABLES makes him the perfect candidate to play the forefather of show business, and the musical pedigree held by the rest of the cast puts them in good stead too. If anyone can inject life into a historical period piece of this nature, it's these guys.
During an interview with EW, Hugh Jackman revealed why he thinks now is the perfect time to headline an original musical:
“Up until La La Land, everyone was saying there hasn’t been an original musical in 23 years. So the prevailing thought in Hollywood was, unless you have a brand people know, it’s not a done thing. So it just took a long time.”
Just as Barnum ushered in a new era of showmanship, so too will THE GREATEST SHOWMAN usher in a new age of musicals, capitalizing further on the momentum started by the success of LA LA LAND. That's particularly true given that the songs have been written by Justin Paul and Benj Pasek, the Oscar-winning team behind LA LA LAND and the Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen.
As Variety reported, Jackman explicitly stated that:
“We were clear from the beginning that this wouldn’t feel like a period movie or a historical piece. What would Barnum do now? I have an almost-12-year-old daughter. I wanted [the movie] to be as exciting for her as listening to Katy Perry’s new song.”
From trapeze acrobatics to Zac Efron's face, this first trailer suggests that THE GREATEST SHOWMAN could capture our imaginations like no other major tentpole release this year. Find out for yourselves whether THE GREATEST SHOWMAN will be The Greatest Show ever seen when the film hits cinemas on Christmas Day.
