'Grease' spinoff set for new streaming service HBO Max
Posted: Oct 15, 2019 / 05:28 PM UTC / Updated: Oct 15, 2019 / 05:28 PM UTC
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A spinoff series inspired by the 1978 movie musical "Grease" has been ordered by HBO Max.
The streaming service said Tuesday that "Grease: Rydell High" will be set in the 1950s, the same era as the film, and will include new and familiar characters. The music also will be a mix, with '50s songs and new original tunes.
HBO Max debuts in spring 2020. It is among several new streamers, including ones from Disney and Apple, that will be competing for customers with familiar and high-profile projects.
"Grease" has dropped in on TV before with a 2016 live production on Fox that featured Julianne Hough and Vanessa Hudgens. The original film starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.
The spinoff's cast and debut date weren't announced.
CHICAGO (AP) — Prosecutors in Chicago were expected to announce on Wednesday which of the sex charges against R&B singer R. Kelly they want to take to trial first.
The singer, who remains in jail, would not attend the hearing, his attorney Steve Greenberg said. He said he expected prosecutors to tell the judge which of the four Cook County indictments — one for each of the four women who have accused him of sexual abuse — they intend to take to trial first, with that initial trial tentatively set to begin in September.