Hugh Jackman to Play P.T. Barnum in Film Musical

Tony winner Hugh Jackman will play American circus pioneer P.T. Barnum in a new musical feature film, The Greatest Showman on Earth, according to Variety. The film, which has no relationship with the 1980 Broadway musical Barnum, will be written by Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City). Grammy-nominated British singer-songwriter Mika is reportedly in talks to write a contemporary musical score.

The film project is an outgrowth of Jackman’s work with producer Laurence Mark on the 2009 Academy Awards, which Mark produced, Jackman hosted and Bicks co-wrote. Anne Hathaway, who sang a duet with Jackman on the Oscar telecast, is the actor's choice to play Jenny Lind, the so-called "Swedish Nightingale." In addition to tracing Barnum’s history as a flamboyant showman, the film will focus on the character’s infatuation with Lind.

Jackman, a Tony winner for The Boy from Oz, reportedly has several screen musicals in the works, including a remake of Carousel, which would also co-star Hathaway. He is returning to Broadway on September 10 for a limited run of the new play A Steady Rain, co-starring with Daniel Craig. The two-person drama about Chicago policemen is set to open on September 29 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.