Fox will air the event on December 17.
Fox, convinced that everything old is new again, is setting out to take on a seminal classic by adapting the classic 1983 comedy A Christmas Story for television — and as a live musical, no less.
The event was first announced in May as a reimagining of both the original movie and its Broadway adaptation, which ran during the 2012 and 2013 holiday seasons. The project is also set to feature new original songs from the musical’s composing team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (who went on to compose for La Land and Dear Evan Hansen) .
And today at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour, Fox announced a few more details: A Christmas Story will air live on the network Sunday, December 17, and be directed by Broadway veteran Scott Ellis. It will also star none other than powerhouse comedian Maya Rudolph as Ralphie’s mom.
Beyond that, there’s no real indication of how, exactly, Fox is visualizing A Christmas Story as a live television event, or whether it will take any creative liberties with the source material. Will it still be set during the movie’s original 1940s time period, or will Ralphie be a 2017 kid craving a first-person shooter game instead of a Red Ryder B. gun? Will we get an ensemble number with a brigade of gruff and terrifying mall Santas — or worse, a brigade of boys in pink bunny suits? Can Rudolph break out one of her preferred cabaret-style numbers in a duet with the infamous leg lamp? (In case it’s not clear, I am hoping for exactly that, because it would be amazing.)
In any case, it is happening and we’ ll all be privy to Fox’s version of a beloved holiday classic soon enough.
