Oklahoma! musical heading to TV

Hit Broadway musical Oklahoma! is set to be adapted for TV as a new series.
The Rodgers & Hammerstein show, which is based on the 1931 play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs, will be revamped by The Blind Side screenwriter/filmmaker John Lee Hancock and This Is Us scribe Bekah Brunstetter, who will set the love story in the present day.
It marks the first time Oklahoma! has been reworked for the small screen, although it was previously turned into a box office hit in 1955, with the film version directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones.
Ted Chapin, Chief Creative Officer for The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, states: “Oklahoma!’s artistically revolutionary position in American culture has both kept it at the forefront of theatrical performances and allowed for various new innovations.
“This first-time ever television series will expand on the life of this remarkably resilient show.”
Hancock will direct the first episode and also serve as an executive producer alongside Brunstetter on the series, which will feature classic tunes from the original 1943 production, as well as new songs.