Fox and Hugh Jackman To Create Musical PT Barnum Biopic

Posted on Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 by Russ Fischer

Did Fox and Hugh Jackman just checkmate Columbia’s plan for a PT Barnum biopic, the pitch for which was announced only weeks ago? It would seem so. Variety says that Fox has tapped Jackman to be the lead in The Greatest Showman on Earth, a musical take on Barnum’s life and business. That is a surprise and it isn’t. Casting Jackman as a singing, dancing lead isn’t rocket science, but why would any studio bankroll this project right now, no matter how determined Jackman might be to bring a couple musicals to the screen? Read More »

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There’s a Sucker Born Every Minute; Life of PT Barnum to Hit Screens

Posted on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 by Russ Fischer

PT Barnum is America’s premiere showman. As in, he was the first man to define the quintessentially American sense of show business success to a degree that he became synonymous with his shows. Phineas Taylor ‘PT’ Barnum’s name and image are far more well known than the man himself, and fiction has long since held sway over truth. (For instance, the famous ‘there’s a sucker born every minute’ line didn’t come from Barnum, but from a competitor, David Hannum.) Now Columbia Pictures may shed some light on the man behind the curtain. (Or not; this is Hollywood.) The studio has bought an untitled Barnum pitch by Stan Chervin that will tell the story of the showman’s life. Read More »

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