NBC is banking on Broadway. The peacock network announced this week that it has plans to develop the classic stage show The Music Man for a live musical event.
The move comes after NBC saw major success with its live airing of The Sound of Music, starring American Idol alum Carrie Underwood. The December 2013 production aired to an audience of 22 million viewers, reaching levels last seen in the early 2000s.
The network already publicized plans for an adaptation of Peter Pan, set to air this coming December. The live show, which NBC called "a timeless classic for all audiences, young and old, who just never want to grow up," will be led by producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who oversaw The Sound of Music.
At the time of the Pan announcement, leaders at the network teased plans for a third live program, explaining that they wanted to kickoff the next production quickly.
NBC has found its show in the 1957 musical The Music Man, which is expected to air in 2015. The original stage production was composed by Broadway great Meredith Willson, who won the Tony award for Best Musical for his efforts.
The original Broadway version of The Music Man was famously adapted for the big screen with the 1962 musical of the same name. The film version starred Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett, and Paul Ford, among others. A 2003 TV movie version enlisted Matthew Broderick, Kristin Chenoweth, and Victor Garber.
