OKLAHOMA! Is OKed For TV Adaptation

• Pat Cerasaro

Rodgers & Hammerstein's beloved 1943 musical OKLAHOMA! is currently enjoying an innovative new revival on Broadway, but that is just the beginning of a fresh energy being imbued into the classic property for a new generation.

This week, the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization approved a new television adaptation of the show, planned to feature both the familiar tunes from the stage version as well as new musical material penned especially for the series.

John Lee Hancock and Beka Brunstetter will write the pilot for the new series, planned to be set in present-day middle America. Hancock will direct the pilot, which he will executive produce alongside Brunstetter, Ted Chapin, Sophia Dilley, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Marcy Ross.

The OKLAHOMA! pilot is set to be filmed later this year.