Smash musical officially in the works with aims for Broadway

Broadway, here Smash comes (hopefully).

A day after releasing 2015's Bombshell in Concert special, the soapy NBC drama's producers have announced that they're officially developing a musical based on the show called Smash, A New Musical.

Produced by Steven Spielberg, Robert Greenblatt, and Neil Meron, the stage show will follow the basic blueprint of the TV series — the mounting of a Marilyn Monroe musical called Bombshell — and feature characters from the show like Ivy (who was played by Megan Hilty), Karen (Katharine McPhee), Tom (Christian Borle), and Julia (Debra Messing); however, the press release promises the story will "depart liberally from the series." Thankfully, the project will include the iconic I-Want song "Let Me Be Your Star," as well as other tunes written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who are returning to compose the musical's score. As of now, it's unclear if any of Smash's original cast will be involved.

When Smash debuted in 2012, it was initially well-received, but critical reception turned against the show and viewership dropped, which lead to its cancelation after season 2. Nevertheless, it built up a strong, cult-like fanbase that's been clamoring for more since the curtain fell on Ivy and Karen in 2013. That passion eventually led to a reunion concert in 2015, when the show's cast performed numbers from Bombshell.

It's far from surprising that a Smash musical is finally happening. According to a 2012 New York Magazine article, the TV show's producers were hoping to take Bombshell to Broadway if it clicked with viewers. Talks of a Broadway show heated up once again after the aforementioned 2015 concert. Well, now it seems as though those discussions will bear fruit.

"I am personally thrilled to be a part of this musical and its road to Broadway,” said Speilberg in a statement. “Smash is near and dear to my heart, and it seems fitting that a new musical inspired by what we did on the show would eventually come to the stage. I’m beyond thrilled to be working with this incredible creative team and my producing partners, who began the Smash journey with me over 10 years ago."

Smash, A New Musical's book will be written by Bob Martin (The Prom) and Rick Elice (Jersey Boys), with the show's choreographer Joshua Bergasse set to return, too. As of now, production dates have not been set.

Related content:

• Watch Smash cast reunion and one-night-only Bombshell concert
• Debra Messing is up for a Smash revival (on one condition)
• Read Smash creator's essay about being fired from her own show