Will Hugh Jackman be passing the baton to Justin Timberlake?
Producers of “The Music Man” are in talks with the “SexyBack” singer to take over the iconic role of Professor Harold Hill in the Broadway musical, a source tells Page Six exclusively.
A source close to Timberlake’s team, however, says the chatter is false.
Timberlake, who has sold over 88 million records, has starred in movies like “The Social Network” and showed off his comedy chops as a “Saturday Night Live” host multiple times, but he has never appeared on Broadway.
The *NSYNC alum, 41, will have some heavy shoes to fill if he decides to take on the role as the lovable con man who changes his ways because of Marian the librarian (played by Sutton Foster in the revival).
Jackman, 53, has been a beloved figure on Broadway since he starred as Peter Allen in 2003’s “The Boy from Oz.” He has also had a one-man show on the Great White Way and hosted the Tony Awards four times.
The musical was supposed to have opened in the fall of 2020 but was delayed two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite middling reviews, the show has been selling briskly, no doubt due to the star power of Jackman.
The splashy revival has garnered six Tony nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Jackman), Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Foster) and Best Choreography (Warren Carlyle).
This week, producers announced that the show will be offering standing room-only tickets for every performance at $76 each.
Reps for “The Music Man” and Timberlake had no comment.