Details Emerge About HAIRSPRAY Film Sequel in Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly talked to Hairspray film director Adam Shankman about the planned July 2010 release of a sequel - Hairspray 2.

"We just got an outline and some ideas from John Waters, and now we're going out to writers," director Adam Shankman tells EW exclusively. The story will follow Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) and her pals as they navigate the "next era of music," the late '60s. "That period was superpolitical," Shankman adds, "it was a time of serious change." No kidding: According to the filmmaker, heartthrob Link (Zac Efron) will channel his inner Austin Powers and become steeped in the British Invasion. "We're trying to track, in a comedic way, the historical elements."

Variety reported this summer that New Line Cinema has made a deal with John Waters, Hairspray's creator to pen a treatment for a sequel to the hit film. Also set to return are director/choreographer Adam Shankman, the song-writing team of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, and producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. 

None of the hit film's cast had sequel options, but the studio is said to be hopeful to reunite all of the original stars, with a target release date of mid-July 2010. The first film grossed over $200 million worldwide.

Hairspray starred Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad, John Travolta as Edna Turnblad, Allison Janney as Prudy Pingleton, Christopher Walken as Wilbur Turnblad, Queen Latifah as Motormouth Maybelle, Michelle Pfeiffer as Velma Von Tussle, Brittany Snow as Amber Von Tussle, Zac Efron as Link Larkin, Elijah Kelley as Seaweed and James Marsden as Corny Collins.

Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who brought Chicago to the big screen as an Oscar-winning movie musical (amongst many other films), Hairspray was directed by Adam Shankman.  The film featured a screenplay by Leslie Dixon, who adapted it from Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell's original book, as well as a score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.