There are some stories that simply feel right. Ever since Paramount+ announced that they’d revisit the Grease universe with the prequel series Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, it felt like this cinema classic was worth revisiting through modern-world lenses. At Paramount+’s Television Critics Association presentation today, however, a first-look teaser for the original series was revealed and there’s no other way to put it: We got chills. They’re multiplyin’.
The Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies teaser makes it abundantly clear that Jane (Marisa Davila), Olivia (Cheyenne Isabel Wells), Cynthia (Ari Notartomaso), and Nancy (Tricia Fukuhara) will make waves in the mid-50s Rydell High School. The series takes place four years before the John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John hit musical and tells the story of outcasts who decide to have the time of their lives in their own way. The show has the potential to feature incredibly urgent themes, as it centers around a group of young women who refused to behave like they were supposed to at a time when diversity and feminism were hardly discussed in mainstream media.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Looks Relevant and Fun – What Else Could We Ask For?
Also made clear by the trailer is another important fact: Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies looks fun. Of course, we all expected parties, dancing, and singing, but there’s a lot more when it comes to rebellious teenagers: We get a glimpse of protests, fights, and a whole lot of car stunts — because how else could we make it to an auto body shop? Paramount+ also announced that the series will be 10 episodes long, and the first one debuts on April 6.
Tell Me More, Tell Me More!
Annabel Oakes takes the reins of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies and acts as showrunner, writer, director, and executive producer. Oakes has extensive experience with writing high school-set stories and with providing unique takes on feminism in decades past. She’s written for Awkward., Atypical, and Minx. With her track record and the trailer, there’s no way we can’t keep our expectations high for Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Oakes shared her directing duties with Alethea Jones (Dollface), who set the tone of the series by directing the pilot and two more episodes.
Aside from the four lead actors, the cast also features Shanel Bailey as Hazel, Madison Thompson as Susan, Johnathan Nieves as Richie, Jason Schmidt as Buddy, Maxwell Whittington-Cooper as Wally, and Jackie Hoffman as Asst. Principal McGee.
Paramount+ premieres Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies on April 6. You better shape up and check out the first-look teaser and poster below:
via Collider