Alec Baldwin set to star in NBC’s live event of A Few Good Men
With two Emmy nominations for his hilarious portrayal of President Donald Trump, Baldwin is no stranger on the NBC Network. Baldwin will play Col. Nathan Jessep, the role that Jack Nicholson made famous in the 1992 critically acclaimed film.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Aaron Sorkin, who the original play and film, is set to write NBC’s live adaptation along with Neil Merson and Craig Zaden serving as executive producers. When it was announced that Baldwin would play Jessep, Sorkin expressed his excitement.
“Alec is one of our greatest actors. Having him play this role — live onstage for a television audience — is a dream come true. This will be a brand-new take on Nathan Jessep, and I expect that Alec is going to bust through TV screens and right into living rooms.”
And Sorkin wasn’t the only one completely satisfied by Baldwin’s casting. Bob Greenblatt, NBC Entertainment Chairman, also expressed his excitement.
“No stranger to live television, Alec is the most multifaceted actor in the world and his range is incomparable. He will put his own inimitable stamp on the role of Col. Jessep in a play that is still as surprising and relevant as ever, from one of the most gifted writers working today, the gift that keeps on giving at NBC.”
Before SNL, Baldwin earned accolades and Emmys for his work as Jack Donaghy on the comedy 30 Rock, also on NBC.
The televised play will mark the first live production of a Broadway play in over 50 years. This comes on as a part of NBC’s expanding of its live shows, with a emphasize on musicals, such as Peter Pan, The Wiz, Hairspray, and The Sound of Music.
NBC will have high hopes for the play. Sorkin’s first pass with A Few Good Men came at age 26, after writing the stage play on a cocktail napkin, when it premiered on Broadway to immense critical acclaim. Then just three years later, Sorkin adapted the play into a feature film, which went on to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
The famed play takes place in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 1986 and centers on newbie military lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee, who comes up against the formidable Col. Jessep when he is asked to defend three Marines on trial for murder.
El Dorado Pictures’ Mallory Schwartz and Storyline Entertainment’s Mark Nicholson will also produce the NBC iteration, which will also count Baldwin and Sorkin as exec producers. The telecast will be produced by Universal Television in association with Sony Pictures Television and Warner Bros. Television.
For more news related to NBC’s live event of A Few Good Men, be sure to visit this link.
This story was written by Samantha D’Amico. If you want to follow her on Twitter, you can do so at @SAM_iamXO.