Carrie Underwood is following into Julie Andrews’ footsteps. In her first major acting gig, the Grammy winner has been tapped to star as Maria von Trapp in NBC’s live broadcast of The Sound Of Music. It’s based on the original Broadway musical and is executive produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, producers of NBC’s Smash and the 2013 Academy Awards. The three-hour event will air near the holidays in 2013. “Speaking for everyone at NBC, we couldn’t be happier to have the gifted Carrie Underwood take up the mantle of the great Maria von Trapp,” said NBC’s chairman Bob Greenblatt. “She was an iconic woman who will now be played by an iconic artist.” Added Zadan and Meron, “It’s a particular joy to us as producers to see this amazing artist stretch into new territory with this classic musical.”
The Sound Of Music, set in pre-WWII Austria, is based on the romantic true story of Maria von Trapp, an aspiring nun who leaves the abbey to become a governess for the widower Captain von Trapp’s seven children and finds herself falling in love with her employer and questioning her religious calling. It premiered on Broadway in 1959, where it broke box office records and won the Tony for Best Musical. The 1965 film version won the Best Picture Oscar. The Sound Of Music features a libretto by Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse and a score by Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) that includes “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Edelweiss,” and “So Long, Farewell.”
Following her winning run on Fox’s American Idol, Underwood has amassed more than 15 million albums sold worldwide, 16 No. 1 singles (seven of which were co-written by her) and five Grammys. She has dabbled in acting before with a guest spot on the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother and a role in the 2011 feature Soul Surfer. Underwood, repped by XIX Entertainment and CAA, also toplined her own holiday variety TV special for Fox in 2009, and has co-hosted the CMA Awards for the past five years.
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Are they excluding the songs written specifically for the film version? (“I Have Confidence”, etc.)
Who’ll be playing all the Nazis??
Ha. This Carrie Underwood casting sounds like a train-wreck and shows how out of touch Zadan/Meron are. Carrie Underwood can’t act and is barely able to sing on key in live performances. She is a product of recording studio technicians (look on YouTube for any live performance she’s given, including the Country Music Awards from a few weeks back). The role of Maria is one of the best parts ever written and definitely needs a terrific singer and a strong actress. Clearly, for Zadan and Meron, Queen Latifah must not have been available. I was really looking forward to this live “Sound of Music” performance, but it unfortunately looks like this will be a mess, trying to get “in touch” with a young, hip audience — just like Seth McFarlane hosting the Oscars…
Those who say Carrie’s voice is a result of studio production are confusing her with Taylor Swift. Carrie sounds amazing live, which is why she won the live singing competition American Idol. Look up “How Great Thou Art” from the Grand Ole Opry. This year at the CMA Awards she was spot on singing “Blown Away”, an incredibly difficult song with tons of high belts. (I agree her acting probably leaves something to be desired.)
I am a technician who has worked on a number of live broadcasts that Carrie has performed on. In each of the shows, her vocals have been “sweetened” in post-production. That will not be possible in a “live” broadcast of “The Sound of Music.” And I agree with you — her acting definitely leaves something to be desired: Talent.
Okay – and whose vocals aren’t and would be appropriate for the role?
Jackie Evancho
Are you kidding “Oh on”?? Carrie is one of the FEW singers who actually sounds better live. I think you are confusing her with Taylor Swift. And she already did a great Sound Of Music cover. Look it up on YouTube!
Funny… “Oh no” says she can’t act. Well, when will certain producers and CDs admit that what matters is having a name, relative, connection is what gets them first crack at being cast and to STOP telling us you need to go to acting class, showcases, etc. to get discovered. Never. Because the truth hurts. Now be honest folks (smerk), if Carrie and the likes weren’t known, connected, etc. would they have a shot? NO. BTW… I’d be shocked if this comment weren’t deleted. Hmm, truth hurts.
What a bummer. This could have been great.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC is my all time favorite musical, and I have seen every production (professional and even in colleges) over the years. I am a country music fan as well, although I think that Carrie isn’t the right creative choice to play Maria. They should have cast an unknown actress who would be good in the role VS. some inexperienced singer. NBC proves that they are more desperate for ratings than quality.
NBC will probably cast Cee Lo Green as Captain Von Trapp. Good work, Bob Greenblatt. Stick to making crappy shows like Smash.
Smash was less than a smash & Greenblatt brought it back because its his “baby”. Whitney is lesson in what a sitcom shouldn’t be and now the wizard of NBC does this. Creative flops all around!
My pleasure to support Carrie as actress to this role!
BUT Carrie can NOT act. Give the job to a qualified SAG-AFTRA actor.
Maria has an accent but its not a southern accent. They cast Carrie for ratings however they could of cast “Casey Anthony” and get higher ratings. This production is going to be a disaster.
Mary Martin, the first Maria on Broadway in 1959, was from Weatherford Texas and she had a so call “southern accent”. By the way she won a Tony for her work and she was 42 years old at the time. So Carrie Underwood, from Muskogee, Oklahoma, will be following in a great southern tradition for Maria – only younger.
I didn’t know they had Autotune in the Austrian Alps….
This thread is Deadline at it’s Dead-On Bitchy best. Every comment is great and many made me laugh out loud. Go Deadline Readers!
If Taylor Swift can succesfully portray Eponine in the Les Miz movie… Oh, wait.
This seriously could have been a great production. I think these characters are ripe for reinterpretation. I was looking forward to it — but not with a country music star playing this role. I don’t remember many nuns in Austria with southern accents, and I guarantee you that Carrie Underwood (who has never acted a day in her life) is not going to be able to drop her natural accent.
Zadan and Meron are showing just how old and out-of-touch they are. “Chicago” was made over 10 years ago. “Smash” was last year. The times they are a-changing.
Oh BAH HUMBUG to all you snarky naysayers. You take a risk, people trash the hell out of it, you don’t take a risk, people say you’re playing it safe.
I fully support this casting, as well. I’ve seen Carrie live a BUNCH of times and she is an AMAZING singer–just go back and YouTube some of her Idol performances. That girl can SANG.
I think this will be a very entertaining show–nothing will ever match the Fox classic but that doesn’t mean the show is dead. Thanks for listening and may your hills be forever alive. LOL!!
I agree with what someone else said. Taylor Swift is much worse live. Carrie is pretty good actually and I’m not a C & W fan. I have no idea how this will pan out , but you never know . Could have been worse casting for sure
John Stamos you were robbed!
There is no reason for this. Forget pop culture casting, there is no reason for this. Forget the paychecks to cast and crew and the bump to the economy, there is no reason for this. One cannot forget the classic that still holds up. Well, hell. Apparently one can. Yet there still is no real reason for this.
One of those movies that shouldn’t be re-made. Too iconic and with that rabid fan base fetishizing its every nuance. None of which is Carrie Underwood’s fault. She did a nice “King and I” cover on “American Idol” though. Seems more “Oklahoma”. A new version of “Carousel” on TV could be particularly interesting. If that’s a John Stamos bashing – unfair. He’s a very talented and appealing musical theater performer, old-fashioned but very good.
I totally disagree. It’s classic material, classic songs, and classic roles, and I would love to see them reinterpreted. But not with Carrie Underwood. That’s not a reinterpretation — it’s stunt casting.
Is Jeff Zucker back with NBC?
so, Carrie underwood gets thrown out of the nunnery and sings her way around the nazis……I am so not watching. When is the original rerunning again?
Not a good choice to be handling this role but better than having Lohan doing it.
Will the Kardashians and One Direction be playing the Von Trapp children?
I think it’s great. I doubt they are trying to surpass the original movie musical with Julie Andrews, they are just trying to make a solid enjoyable project and I think Underwood is a great choice to achieve just that. It should be an enjoyable treat to watch.
Ohhh, the Broadway snobs have not let me down!!
No one can sing or act unless you have been on ‘Broadway’.
Geeze, snobs, get over it!
and of course, you had to snark on Smash.
I think there’s a large difference between “No one can sing or act unless you have been on Broadway” and “Carrie Underwood can’t act.”
The latter is true; the former is a broad exaggeration of the comments made here.
Also, let’s be real – glittery and fun it may be, but Smash is not some brilliant shining gem of sitcom genius.
At first glance I thought this was a terrible ideal. But, then I stepped back and thought about it. Carrie Underwood is possibly the best vocalist in music today. True, her acting skills could use some improving but hopefully with a lot of practice, by next year she will be ready. No matter who they decided to cast, no one would be happy with the choice. I am not even sure why they’re remaking this classic in the first place. But, in retrospect I can’t think of any other female vocalist who is capable of pulling this off “Live” besides Carrie.