NBC may forgo the musicals for its next live production and instead team up with a playwright who has proven successful for the network in the past.
NBC is eying a live staging of Aaron Sorkin's play "A Few Good Men" for its next event program, according to Variety. Talks are in the early stages to give a live television performance of the play that started on Broadway in 1989 and Sorkin then adapted for the big screen in 1992.
"A Few Good Men" portrays a court-martial case against two Marines accused of murdering a fellow serviceman, but their lawyers try to prove they acted under orders. The film adaptation starred Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson, who delivered the now famous line, "You can't handle the truth!"
Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the same men behind the live musical productions, suggested staging the play to NBC Entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt, who in turn pitched it to Sorkin over the summer. NBC would stage the production with Sony's TV division, which still owns certain rights from the original film deal.
Sorkin would be tasked with adapting his play for a live TV production, according to Variety. The network continues to work out other details such as casting, a director and possible premiere date.
NBC collected more than 25 Emmy Awards from Sorkin's TV drama "The West Wing," which aired between 1999 and 2006. The network also aired his series "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," but the show only lasted one season.
The Peacock network will air its second live musical production on Dec. 4 with "Peter Pan Live!" starring Allison Williams and Christopher Walken. Last year's production of "The Sound of Music Live!" attracted 18.5 million viewers when it premiered.
