Paramount's Summer Lovin', the Grease prequel, is going to be a "full-on" musical according to the film’s director. The 1978 musical Grease was a smash hit and featured stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as lovers-in-conflict Danny and Sandy. One of the movie's opening numbers, “Summer Nights”, is a particular fan favorite and the song repeats the line “Summer lovin’...” The summer of love referenced in the song will be the main attraction of the Grease prequel, as audiences will be able to watch Danny and Sandy meet and fall in love.

Just recently, Heart Beats Loud director Brett Haley was tapped to helm the production. There are no official casting details, and no mention if any of the original cast members will make an appearance in the film. Since the original Grease takes place in 1950s, this prequel will presumably be set in the same decade as well. The script is being written by John August, who also co-wrote Disney's live-action Aladdin.

In a recent interview with Cinema Blend, Haley briefly discussed the project: “I can’t say much about it, but I can tell you, yeah it’s going to be a full-on Grease musical. I can tell fans of the franchise it’s going to be really true to the movie and I also tell people who maybe don’t like musicals that I think it’ll be something that will be a wonderful experience and a wonderful, surprising, fun, feel-good, fully-realized journey.” Haley went on to say that the prequel is a “dream project.”


Haley is an interesting choice for directing such an iconic musical property. Although he has never directed an all-out musical, some of his movies are musically inclined. Heart Beats Loud saw Nick Offerman as part of a father-daughter songwriting team and the recent All Together Now is about a troubled high schooler with a powerful voice and musical aspirations. This later movie, now available on Netflix, gives Haley some street cred in the musical world. Star Auli’i Cravalho, the voice of Moana, gets plenty of chances to sing and the film caters to the young adult crowd. This bodes well for Summer Lovin' since Grease is, at its heart, a musical about high school students.

A “full-on” musical prequel is welcome news, as anything less would be a disappointment for longtime fans of Grease. The original musical delivers no less than ten hit songs that still endure today, even inspiring the name of this very prequel. Whether or not Summer Lovin' is able to appeal to Grease fans is sure to come down to how well the prequel movie's music is received. The original film also has love story to root for, but since the only glimpse into Danny and Sandy’s romantic past is a few flashbacks, a musical about summer and first love at the beach sounds like a recipe for success. Hopefully, Summer Lovin' can win over younger generations while still pleasing those a bit older who have fond of memories of the original Grease.