Idina Menzel to star in 'Beaches' TV movie for Lifetime
Idina Menzel is headed for the beach with Lifetime.
The Frozen and Rent favorite has been tapped to take on Bette Midler's role in a TV movie remake of 1988's Beaches, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The film follows the serendipitous meeting of two kids on the Venice Boardwalk, who, though worlds apart in lifestyle, embark on unexpected and lifelong friendship. CC (Menzel) is an aspiring singer trying to make it in Los Angeles until she is discovered by a director who gives CC her first big shot. Hillary (Barbara Hershey in the feature) is the daughter of a prominent civil rights lawyer who struggles to find her own destiny. Their friendship — even with its ups and downs — sustains them for decades.
Production is set to begin on the Lifetime movie on Aug. 15 in Vancouver.
The movie's music — including "Wind Beneath My Wings" and "The Glory of Love" — will be included, with new takes on those as well as several other songs that Menzel will record specifically for the Lifetime incarnation.
Casting remains under way for the role of Hillary. Lifetime's Beaches will be executive produced by Denise Di Novi (Crazy Stupid Love) and Alison Greenspan (If I Stay). Allison Anders (Ring of Fire) will direct direct. Bart Barker (Honeymoon With Harry) and Nikole Beckwith (Stockholm, Pennsylvania) will pen the script for the A+E Studios-produced movie. The project will premiere in 2017. A specific date has yet to be announced.
The original movie, from the late and great Garry Marshall, grossed $57 million domestically with "Wind Beneath My Wings" earning record and song of the year Grammys. The project, announced a week after Marshall's passing, was in the works for more than a year.
For Lifetime, it marks the latest TV movie reboot and follows its rendition of Steel Magnolias, which set ratings records for the female-skewing cable network.
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