Travolta, known for his lengthy film career, has not acted in a musical either on stage or screen in decades. On Broadway he appeared in Grease and Over Here!. He earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance in the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever. His other feature movie musical credits include 1978's Grease and 1983's Staying Alive.

Latifah, a Grammy Award-winning singer-turned-actress, received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in another movie musical, Chicago. She previously worked with Hairspray film director Adam Shankman on the hit comedy Bringing Down the House.

The Hairspray film is set to be released in summer 2007. New Line Cinema is holding open calls across the country to cast a girl as the story's central character, Tracy Turnblad.