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Living out live: NBC's fourth live musical has found its star

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Author: 
Andrew Warren / TV Media
Jennifer Hudson stars in "Hairspray Live!"

Jennifer Hudson stars in "Hairspray Live!"

Living out live: It's now an annual tradition: this December, NBC is set to broadcast a live production of a classic musical. By any metric, 2015's "The Wiz Live" was a huge success for the peacock network, and casting is well underway for this year's "Hairspray Live," set to broadcast Wednesday, Dec. 7.

"Hairspray Live" will be based on the 2002 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, which was adapted into a major motion picture starring John Travolta ("Grease," 1978), Zac Efron ("17 Again," 2009) and Nikki Blonsky ("Valemont") back in 2007.

"Hairspray" is the story of Tracy Turnblad, a teenage girl living in 1960s Baltimore who is an endless faucet of optimism, despite her weight and her unconventionally progressive views on race. For "Hairspray Live," the casting folks at NBC have gone outside of the box for their Tracy: newcomer Maddie Baillio beat out more than 1,000 other women to take the high-profile role, despite it being her first-ever audition.

It's the kind of opportunity that most aspiring actors and performers can only dream of, and Baillio is starring alongside some pretty big names. Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson ("Dreamgirls," 2006) has been cast as record producer Motormouth Maybelle, alongside Emmy winner Martin Short ("Mars Attacks," 1996), Harvey Fierstein ("Independence Day," 1996) and Derek Hough ("Dancing With the Stars"), with more casting announcements expected as the premiere date draws closer.

NBC's first annual live musical production, "The Sound of Music Live," was broadcast in 2013, and the tradition has become a popular one. Its followups, 2014's "Peter Pan Live" and last year's "The Wiz Live" have continued the tradition, with recorded broadcasts being aired after the live showing for audiences at home who missed the live performance.

"Hairspray Live," starring newcomer Baillio, airs live Wednesday, Dec. 7, on NBC.

 

Craig's new direction: James Bond is moving on. While Daniel Craig ("Skyfall," 2012) hasn't officially retired from the role of the world's most famous secret agent -- which he's played in four films, starting with 2006's "Casino Royale" -- the actor has been very vocal about his desire to move on from the role that made him a household name. 

Whether the English actor does step into 007's shoes for another outing, he's definitely keeping himself busy. With a new TV series in which he's set to both star and executive produce receiving a straight-to-series order from Showtime, Craig's possible post-Bond world won't be a quiet one.

"Purity" is based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Franzen. Spanning several decades and multiple continents, it is the story of a woman named Purity who, caught up in her youthful idealism and search for her father's identity, winds up involved in some of the world's biggest secrets.

With plans to begin filming in 2017 for a two-season run, the project is still in its very early days. Craig, in addition to his role as an executive producer, plays an East German man who commits a murder to help save the woman he loves, and who then is swept up in global events when the Berlin Wall comes down.

"Purity" is written, directed and executive produced by Todd Field ("Eyes Wide Shut," 1999), and is planned to span 20 episodes. No premiere date has been announced for the project.

 

Small screen heroes: Yet another superhero property is making its way to the small screen. After decades of only occasionally making their presence known on screens big and small, the past few years have witnessed an explosion of popularity for live-action adaptations of some of the world's biggest comic book characters. Now, FX is boarding the superhero train with an upcoming X-Men spinoff in the works.

"Legion" has moved past the pilot stage and has been given an eight-episode order, with a planned premiere in early 2017.

Dan Stevens ("Downton Abbey") has been tapped for the starring role in the series, and he'll be playing David Haller, a troubled young man who has been hearing voices and seeing visions in his head for years. Eventually, he comes to realize that these voices and visions are all too real -- and that he is, in fact, a mutant.

Other actors tapped for starring roles include Aubrey Plaza ("Parks and Recreation"), Jean Smart ("Garden State," 2004), Rachel Keller ("Fargo") and Katie Aselton ("The League").

X-Men has been a huge cinematic success, with its ninth installment, "X-Men: Apocalypse," premiering earlier this summer. Based on the Marvel comics, X-Men follows the larger-than-life adventures of a group of mutant humans with extraordinary abilities and powers that they use to protect the human race. Look for "Legion" some time next year.