Filming Dates Set for Hugh Jackman's P.T. Barnum Movie Musical; Benj Pasek & Justin Paul Join Creative Team

Filming is finally set to begin for the Hugh Jackman-led The Greatest Showman on Earth. According to Deadline, the original movie musical, which stars the Tony winner as P.T. Barnum, will begin shooting in summer 2015 in New York. As previously reported, Oscar winner Bill Condon, who directed and provided original material for the current revival of Side Show, has worked on the current draft of the script. Visual effects artist and commercial director Michael Gracey will helm the feature film.

That’s not all the exciting news! Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the Tony-nominated duo behind A Christmas Story, are among the composers who will provide material for the movie. The score will also feature songs by Scissor Sisters front-man Jake Shears, singer/songwriter Bonnie McKee and Brian Lapin, whose work with music production company Transcenders has been featured in films such as Bring It On: In It to Win It, Superbad and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Jackman shared a photo on Instagram earlier this year from the recording studio, teasing the artists' involvement.

The film will follow Barnum’s career that led him to be known as the iconic entertainer and creator of the three-ring circus. Jackman initially signed on to play the entertainment pioneer in The Greatest Showman on Earth in 2009, but the project stalled. This marks the first original live action musical from a studio since Disney’s Newsies in 1992.

Jackman, who is currently starring on Broadway in The River, won a Tony Award for playing Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz and has also appeared on Broadway in A Steady Rain and Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway. The star’s many film and TV credits include Australia, Swordfish, Kate & Leopold, Real Steel, The Prestige, Les Miserables and the X-Men series, including The Wolverine.