It’s finally time to handle the truth: As we previously reported almost two years ago, NBC has decided the best way to capitalize on the success of its live musical specials is with a music-free courtroom drama. That’s right, get ready for A Few Good Men Live! While NBC thankfully isn’t actually branding the show as such, it will be airing a live presentation of A Few Good Men sometime in early 2017, according to Variety. And writer Aaron Sorkin is on board to adapt his script for live TV.
A Few Good Men centers on the court martial of two U.S. Marines charged with murdering another Marine, and the larger conspiracy that unfolds over the course of the trial. The original 1989 Broadway run of the show helped launch Sorkin’s career and he went on to write the screenplay for the iconic 1992 film adaptation, which starred Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, and a whole bunch of then up-and-coming stars. Since there haven’t been any casting announcements for the live broadcast yet, feel free to speculate wildly on which West Wing/Newsroom/Studio 60 alums will be joining the cast and whether Bradley Whitford has enough gravitas to take on the Nicholson role.
A Few Good Men could kick off a new trend for live theatrical productions, which have so far been limited to musicals and bizarre Christian propaganda concerts. While NBC is pressing forward with more live musicals as well—most notably the upcoming Hairspray Live!—the network is potentially trying to figure out a way to one-up Fox, which gave them a run for their money with the expertly staged Grease Live! And as they say, the best revenge is a three-hour long dialogue-heavy play about military ethics.