Nickelodeon hasn’t been making headlines for good reasons lately. The kid-targeted network lost its popular Victorious/iCarly crossover series Sam & Cat sooner than expected due to a clash involving its stars Ariana Grande and Jennette McCurdy, and it also recently moved animated fantasy series The Legend of Korra online after extremely low ratings. However, things may be turning around for the network today, with word that it has partnered with Paramount TV to revive the 2003 Jack Black comedy School of Rock as a live-action series.
The new show, which has landed a 13-episode, straight-to-series order from Nickelodeon, will follow the same premise of the film, in which rocker Dewey Finn (Black’s role) posed as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school, imparting to his young pupils the skills necessary to play and appreciate rock ‘n’ roll.
No cast members for School of Rock have yet been announced, though news on that front is likely coming soon. Production is set to kick off this fall for a planned premiere in early 2015. Jim and Steve Armogida (Crash and Bernstein) are acting as showrunners on the series, in addition to writing and exec-producing it. Additionally, School of Rock director Richard Linklater and producer Scott Rudin are involved as exec-producers.
Said Paramount TV president Amy Powell:
“With Dewey’s outrageous personality and rock star sensibilities taking center stage, School of Rock will be an irresistibly fun show for the whole family.”
Russell Hicks, Nickelodeon’s president of content and development, added:
“School of Rock is one of those great movies that always felt quintessentially Nickelodeon in its tone and humor, and we jumped at the opportunity to partner with Paramount Television and bring it to life as a TV series.”
We’ll be sure to keep you posted as Nickelodeon unveils the cast for School of Rock – sadly, it seems unlikely that neither Black nor star Miranda Cosgrove (a Nickelodeon alum) will be returning.
