Friday Night Lights has already gone from book, to big screen, to small screen. And now its journey across all traditional media formats continues with plans to adapt it for the stage.
And there’s going to be a big song and dance made about the whole thing, because the story of Coach Taylor and his Texas football team The Panthers is being re-imagined as a musical.
Just think of all the possibilities. Along with the obvious opening number “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose” (likely featuring rival football teams fight-dancing), we’re imagining “Girls In Locker Rooms Is A Bad Idea” as a jaunty Greased Lighting style group jam, plus “There Are More Important Things Than Football” as an emotional solo showstopper from the coach.
Naturally there should be a big, syrupy love duet between Mr. and Mrs. Taylor about how their relationship is vastly superior to everyone else’s, ever (“I Respect You”? ♪ ♫)…
… And probably some kind of training montage-style pre-intermission interlude, quite similar to that of I’ll Make A Man Out Of You from Disney’s Mulan.
Oh. Not to mention a ten-minute surging orchestral ode to the fabulousness of Tim Riggins’ hair.
As TV Line reports, The Unauthorized Friday Night Lights Musical will hit the stage next year in Los Angeles, helmed by Jordan Ross and Lindsey Rosin, whose previous bragging rights include unauthorized musical adaptations of The O.C. and Cruel Intentions.
Excitingly, they’ve already cast the role of Eric Taylor, and it’s a familiar face.
Scott Porter, who portrayed quarterback Jason Street in the TV series, has been promoted to the role of coach.
Porter shared the news via a Dubsmash video:
The player is now the coach… @nbcfnl‘s @ScottPorter is Coach Taylor in the Unauthorized #FNLMusical! pic.twitter.com/V0p5eLOUCo
— #FNLMUSICAL (@TheFNLMusical) November 24, 2015
Maybe Julie Taylor could play her mother for equilibrium?
Either way, we’re looking forward to seeing the results. Fingers crossed it comes to Australia.
