Hugh Jackman to Star in Michael Gracey's 'The Greatest Showman On Earth' Film

Hugh Jackman is set to lead 'The Greatest Showman On Earth' as circus owner PT Barnum (of Barnum & Bailey), according to The Hollywood Reporter.

As per the report, "[Michael] Gracey is set to direct the biopic, about the legendary showman who created the three-ring circus, and loved to hoax a gullible public. A focal point of the movie is Barnum's infatuation with opera singer Jenny Lind, called the Swedish Nightingale. So far, no actress has been cast for the role."

Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City) pens the film, which is taking preliminary production steps under 20th Century Fox.

Jackman won a 2004 Tony Award, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World awards for Best Actor in a musical for his portrayal of the 1970s singer-songwriter Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz. Previous theater credits include Carousel at Carnegie Hall, Oklahoma! at the National Theater in London (Olivier Award nomination), Sunset Boulevard (MO Award - Australia's Tony Award) and Disney's Beauty and the Beast (MO Award nomination). From 2003 through 2005 he hosted the Tony Awards, winning a 2004 Emmy for Outstanding Individual Performer in a Variety, Musical or Comedy program.

He made his first major U.S. film appearance as Wolverine in the first installment of the X-Men franchise, a role he reprised in the enormously successful X2 and 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand. In 2009, Jackman took on the Oscar host as he fronted the 81st Annual Academy Awards and will star as Jean Valjean in the upcoming film adaptation of LES MISERABLES.

Read the Hollywood Reporter article here.