Menken, Zippel & Pennette Working on New ABC Musical Comedy

According to Deadline.com, Alan Menken and David Zippel are joining forces with Marco Pennette  to create a new musical comedy for ABC.  The untitled project is one of three new musical series in development at ABC for next season.

The project is described as 'St. Elmo's Fire meets Rent and centers on a young female musician living with other musicians as they try to make their way into the world.' Menken, Zippel, and Penette are on board to executive produce the show, with Pennette writing the script.

Menken is best known for his numerous scores for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas, each of which won him two Academy Awards. He also composed the scores for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Hercules. Menken has collaborated on several occasions with lyricists including Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Stephen Schwartz. He has won a total of eight Oscars, more than any other living individual. He has been Oscar-nominated a total of eighteen times.

David Zippel has been nominated for two Oscars,   He also wrote the lyrics for Broadway's City of Angels, and is a producer for ABC's Desperate Housewives.

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