Production on Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies has officially begun in Vancouver as the full cast of the Grease prequel series has been released. Per Deadline, the Paramount+ series
takes place in 1954, four years before the original Grease, and "before rock ‘n’ roll ruled and before the T-Birds were the coolest in the school. It follows four fed-up outcasts who dare to have fun on their own terms, sparking a moral panic that will change Rydell High forever."
The cast for the new series includes Marisa Davila (Schooled) as Jane, Cheyenne Isabel Wells as Olivia, Ari Notartomaso (Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin) as Cynthia, Tricia Fukuhara (Dante Falls) as Nancy, Shanel Bailey (The Equalizer) as Hazel, Madison Thompson (Ozark) as Susan, Johnathan Nieves (Penny Dreadful: City of Angels) as Richie, Jason Schmidt as Buddy, Maxwell Whittington-Cooper (When They See Us) as Wally and Jackie Hoffman (Garden State) as Assistant Principal McGee.
Series creator Annabel Oake (Atypical, Transparent) serves as writer and executive producer as well as showrunner. Marty Bowen is also executive producing for Temple Hill alongside Adam Fishbach and Alethea Jones (Made For Love). Jones is also directing the pilot and an additional two episodes. Erik Feig and Samie Kim Falvey are executive producing via Picturestart with Grace Gilroy producing. Jamal Sims provides choreography with music by Grammy nominee and executive music producer Justin Tranter.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Serves as Prequel to the Film
“We are thrilled to unveil our new original series that will introduce an incredible cast of young stars in the making and electrifying musical numbers you will fall in love with,” said Nicole Clemens, President, Paramount Television Studios & Paramount+ Original Scripted Series. “Annabel and Alethea have managed to brilliantly capture the spirit of the iconic beloved classic film which like Rise of the Pink Ladies, is both set in the past but relevant to the present.”
Based on the original musical, the first Grease movie was released in 1978. Featuring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the lead roles, the film also featured a gang of Pink Ladies consisting of Stockard Channing as Betty Rizzo, Didi Conn as Frenchy, Jamie Donnelly a Jan, and Dinah Manoff as Marty Maraschino. The musical film is a classic and is still widely regarded as one of the best movies of the genre.
A sequel, Grease 2, was released in 1982. It is not quite as well-regarded as the original, shelving plans for a potential third film. The franchise had mostly been dormant in the years since though it was reported in 2019 that a prequel to the original movie called Summer Lovin' is in the works with John August writing the screenplay. The status of that project is currently unclear but it is separate from this Paramount+ series that follows the Pink Ladies.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is now in production, but an official premiere date on Paramount+ hasn't yet been announced.