Paramount+ has ordered “Grease” prequel series “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies,” which hails from Paramount Television Studios, TheWrap has confirmed.
“Rise of the Pink Ladies,” created by showrunner Annabel Oakes (“Atypical”), has a 10-episode order. Oakes will also serve as the writer, executive producer and showrunner.
In addition to Oakes, Marty Bowen will executive produce the streaming show via Temple Hill. Erik Feig joins him through PictureStart.
“Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” is set four years before the original “Grease.” Or as Paramount puts it: “Before rock ‘n’ roll ruled, before the T-Birds were the coolest in the school, four fed-up, outcast girls dare to have fun on their own terms, sparking a moral panic that will change Rydell High forever.”
The original “Grease,” which starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, took the world by storm in 1978. Based on the 1971 musical, it was set in the late 1950s. The Pink Ladies in the 1978 film were played by Stockard Channing, Didi Conn, Dinah Manoff and Jamie Donnelly.
In 2016, Fox aired a live version of “Grease,” which won five Emmys and starred Julianne Hough, Aaron Tveit and Vanessa Hudgens.
Prior to the prequel series’ green light at Paramount+, HBO Max ordered the show — originally titled “Grease: Rydell High” — in October 2019. Although HBO Max scrapped plans for the “Grease” spinoff, the show eventually found its home at Paramount+ with a reworked plot and a brand new title.
While the original series aimed to “reimagine the global smash hit movie with some characters you already know, and a whole lot more you will soon meet,” “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies,” takes a specific focus on Pink Ladies Rizzo, Frenchy, Marty and Jan.
Producing entities Temple Hill and PictureSmart are also producing an additional “Grease” prequel — a film titled “Summer Lovin” — which is in production at Paramount. Brett Haley will direct the film.