NBCDo you believe in fairies? NBC does!
Following the success of Carrie Underwood and The Sound of Music, NBC is set to bring another beloved Broadway musical to the small screen: Peter Pan!
The boy who never wanted to grow up will receive a live adaptation from the network on Dec. 4, NBC boss Robert Greenblatt announced on Sunday morning at the 2014 Winter TCA Press Tour.
"We had so much doing a big musical that the family could watch over the holidays, so we're going to do it again," Greenblatt said of Peter Pan.
While the cast will be announced at a later date, Greenblatt teased, "Get ready for flying children and some start-of-the-art technology for Tinkerbell."
And when asked about potential casting for the special, the big boss joked, "I want Miley Cyrus!" He later said he's going to "be coy" about casting for now as they literally just started talking about it." But he did confirm that none of his dream casting choices were Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber or Cher, all of whom a reporter offered up as potential cast members.
The Sound of Music's live special brought in "nearly 19 million viewers," with an additional three million tuning in via DVR playback, Greenblatt boasted, adding that the special even beat out the network's football programming. "For once, the drama nerds beat the jocks," he joked.
"We're very pleased to be underway on Peter Pan as our next live holiday musical for the whole family," Greenblatt said in a later statement. "We were all delighted to see how The Sound of Music Live! struck such a chord in December and brought nearly 19 million people to the live telecast plus another several million viewers over the weekend. In the hopes that lightning strikes twice, we think we've landed on another great Broadway musical — which ironically also starred Mary Martin—that is a timeless classic for all audiences, young and old, who just never want to grow up."
Smash's Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who brought The Sound of Music to life for the net, will be back to helm Peter Pan.
"We're thrilled to be reteaming with NBC and Bob Greenblatt in bringing Peter Pan back to its roots as a live television event," Zadan and Meron said in a joint statement. "We hope to create the joy that has made this musical so beloved. We would like a whole new generation to experience Peter Pan and for families across the country to share the magic."
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)