Grease Prequel Series Sets Cast, With Jackie Hoffman as Vice Principal
Paramount+ is ready to chronicle the rise of the Pink Ladies, having now locked in the cast for its musical Grease prequel series.
The streaming service on Monday unveiled the full cast (detailed below), as well as announced that filming on the 10-episode series is now underway in Vancouver.
Set in 1954 — four years prior to the original Grease movie that was released in 1978 — Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies takes place in a time “before rock ‘n’ roll ruled, before the T-Birds were the coolest in the school,” as four fed-up outcasts dare to have fun on their own terms, “sparking a moral panic that will change Rydell High forever.”
The cast includes Marisa Davila (My Big Fat Blonde Musical) as Jane, Cheyenne Isabel Wells (Little Shop of Horrors) as Olivia, Ari Notartomaso (Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin) as Cynthia, Tricia Fukuhara (Totally TV’s The Super Pops) as Nancy, Shanel Bailey as Hazel, Madison Thompson (Ozark) as Susan, Johnathan Nieves (Penny Dreadful: City of Angels) as Richie, Jason Schmidt as Buddy and Maxwell Whittington-Cooper as Wally.
Emmy nominee Jackie Hoffman (FEUD, Only Murders in the Building), meanwhile, will play Rydell High’s Assistant Principal McGee.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is written by series creator Annabel Oakes (Atypical, Transparent), who will serve as showrunner and executive-produce alongside Alethea Jones (who will direct the pilot plus two more episodes) and others.
“We are thrilled to unveil our new original series that will introduce an incredible cast of young stars in the making and electrifying musical numbers you will fall in love with,” Paramount+ original scripted series president Nicole Clemens said in a statement. “Annabel and Alethea have managed to brilliantly capture the spirit of the iconic beloved classic film which like Rise of the Pink Ladies, is both set in the past but relevant to the present.”
Do we really believe HS students would be this diverse in 1954?
Do we really believe in guardian angels and flying convertibles and people who break out in song because “feelings”? Grease was always set in a fantasy world.
Wait you guys aren’t breaking into song?
What
Please explain how Olivia, Jane, Cynthia, and Nancy became Rizzo, Frenchy, Jan and Marty four years later who were high school seniors. No amount of fantasy makes that make sense.
Exactly! How is this a prequel? What in the world is this???
They are not Rizzo, Frenchy, Jan and Marty. Looks like they are original characters.
If its set 4 years before the movie, then Rizzo and the gang would not be in high school yet.
Horrible musical.
Horrible movie.
Hard pass.
Erm….they know segregation didn’t get abolished til 1964 right?
Sure, Grease is a musical and has one foot tip toeing into fantasy, but ignoring the historical circumstances and simply appalling treatment folk endured back then because 2022 is a far more inclusive society (well, SHOULD BE) seems as poor a decision as a Grease prequel itself.
I don’t think Grease took place in the south.
Grease was set at Rydell High, a fictional school in Delaware, where segregation was still around as late as 1967.
I believe Delaware is/was classed as a southern border state?
(I’m from Scotland, so could be wrong)
I just can’t picture a Grease series tackling such a serious topic, but who knows.
I think the movie Grease never says where it takes place. The original musical took place in Chicago
Depends on where the story is set. Not all states had segregated schools. I don’t think Grease took place in the deep south.
Just like in A Christmas Story. Ralphie went to an Indiana school with black kids in the 40s. Indiana schools have been integrated since the 1870s.
Jesus Christ, it’s not a documentary! News flash: People didn’t burst into song with full backing orchestras in 1964, either.
I love Jackie Hoffman, but I still need to take a pass on this one. Sorry.
Really dumb idea! There was no inclusion in 1954 and no amount of wishing will make that so. Stop rewriting history and start coming up with some original ideas.
It depends on where in the country this takes place. Not all schools were segregated in 1954.
Hahahahahahahahaha
“fun on their own terms,” in 1954 America?
Hahahahahahahahaha ok
The flying car from the 1978 file will be more realistic.
Shouldn’t Rydell be a segregated school? It is the 50s.
The series in this article makes no sense. The idea of a prequel series about Rizzo, Jan, Marty, and Frenchy’s freshman year of highschool and how/why they formed the Pink Ladies wasn’t the worst idea ever in the history of TV. The concept had some potential. They could include all of the characters people know and love from the original play/movie except for Sandy.
I am almost sure that the stage version is set in Chicago, and I have no idea where the movie is set. The diversity of the cast does not bother me. There were some integrated high schools in 1954. Most of them would have been in the north, and in or near cities. It may not have been the norm or commonplace, but it’s within the realm of possible.
I got a feeling the change in characters and format was most likely due to the fact the creators of the original stage musical would have to be paid a royalty for the use of the characters that originated from the stage musical.
Principle McGee (and Jackie Hoffman looks nothing like Eve Arden…) was created for the film.
That is an excellent point. I wonder if they came up with the idea and then partway through the development process realized they didn’t own as much as they thought they did. If that is the case, then they are limited to a mini-series/one season. As others have pointed out, Rizzo and her friends do not start high school until fall of 1955. They can get away with new characters for one season, but fans will want to know where the familiar characters we know are once they have started school.
No, just no!! Terrible idea! Grease is a classic that can’t be touched.
No one was asking for a prequel to Grease.
What’s next? Xanadu prequel?
Grease is a classic. My favorite film. Mostly because of Danny and Sandy. (John and Olivia) It’s just such a fun movie. But Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies doesn’t even center on the original Pink Ladies. We want Rizzo, Marty, Jan and (my personal favorite!) Frenchy. I love you, Jackie Hoffman, but this is a hard pass for me.