Cynthia Erivo, Keala Settle & More Join Hugh Jackman for THE GREATEST SHOWMAN ON EARTH Reading

FOX's musical movie THE GREATEST SHOWMAN ON EARTH is making progress, having just presented a reading to executives prior to filming. Starring the previously announced Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum and directed by Michael Gracey in his directorial debut, the reading also starred Cynthia Erivo, Keala Settle, Carrie Manolakos, Marcus Paul James, Adam Halpin, Natalie Weiss, Loren Allred, Tamika Lawrence, Alison Luff, and Ben Thompson.

Check out a photo from the reading as tweeted by Pasek & Paul below!

The plan is for filming to begin in Australia late Summer through September. Release is currently set for Christmas Day 2017.

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN ON EARTH has a screenplay by SEX & THE CITY scribe Jenny Bicks and BIG HERO 6's Jordan Roberts, with a subsequent draft written by DREAMGIRLS's Bill Condon and the final draft by THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU's Jonathan Tropper. Tony nominated songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul have written the score, with musical contributions by Brian Lapin, Bonnie McKee and Jake Shears.

Of course, the LIFE STORY of P.T. Barnum has been presented in musical form before, with Jim Dale and Glenn Close starring in the Cy Coleman/Michael Stewart Broadway musical BARNUM in the early 1980s. It was later presented on video via the West End mounting with Michael Crawford in the title role. P.T. Barnum's story has made its way to celluloid over the decades, as well, with the title of this new film project alluding most notably to 1952's Oscar-winning circus-set THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH.

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