Grease Prequel “Summer Loving” in the Works

The tale of Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson is one of the most iconic cinematic love affairs of our time. Now, Paramount Studios is taking the story back to where they first met through prequel, Summer Loving. 

Grease 1978. Photo credit: Melbourne Queer Film Festival.

Grease, made in 1978, is an iconic film for its portrayal of a love affair set in the 1950s. It features leather jacket wearing, rebel, Danny, vying for the attention of Australian goody two shoes Sandy and their groups the ‘T-birds’ and the ‘Pink Ladies’. It was notorious for its costuming, characters and, of course, soundtrack, with song Grease Lightning becoming a worldwide hit. Grease was the highest grossing film that year and eventually became the highest grossing musical ever, making nearly $400 million at the international box office, The Numbers states.

Paramount Studios are currently working towards creating a prequel to the iconic film, titled Summer Loving, based around the first meeting Sandy and Danny had, one that was sang about but never shown in the original film. The Hollywood Reporter describes that writer John August is said to write the script. August is a well-known figure in Hollywood having worked on the scripts for films such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Big Fish. 

There are no confirmations on who is set to play the characters yet or when it will be released, but Temple Hill and Picturestart are reported to be producing the prequel.

Grease cemented itself as a monumental film and an international icon, achieving global success. The soundtrack, costume and characters were original and captivating. Summer Loving, although still in the works, has the potential to be just as successful as the original by taking a look at how the story all began. The news on the development of the prequel has left many fans, myself included, wanting Paramount to “tell me more, tell me more!”

Let us know what you think the expansion of the Grease franchise in the comments.