NBC has set “Jesus Christ Superstar” as its next live musical, the network announced Wednesday.
The new “Jesus Christ Superstar” will air on Easter, April 1, 2018, and will be executive produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Marc Platt, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.
“As we continue to expand the profile of our live musicals, we are thrilled to be partnering with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to bring a new live staging of the iconic ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ to NBC,” said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment. “Casting has just begun, but we want to fill out this classic show with as many recording artists as possible to give proper voice to what is the original rock opera score.”
The musical is based on the final week of Jesus’ life. Other historical figures that play prominent roles in the production include Judas Iscariot, Mary Magdalene, Pontius Pilate, Caiaphas, Annas, Peter, Simon Zealotes and King Herod.
NBC also has a live production of “Bye Bye Birdie” starring Jennifer Lopez set to air in 2017. The network previously put on “The Sound of Music,” “Peter Pan,” “The Wiz” and “Hairspray.”
The 1971 “Jesus Christ Superstar” opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Broadway and has since been performed in nearly 20 countries and translated into 18 different languages. It was also made into a 1973 film starring Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson, Yvonne Elliman musand Barry Dennen