Shankman Confirms: 'Hairspray 2' Film is 'Dropped'

IMBD news is reporting that Hairspray 2, a sequel to the 2007 Hairspray film starring Nikki Blonsky, Zac Efron, John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer, has been canned. Hairspray composer/producer Marc Shaiman was supposed to team with John Waters on the project, which had had a tentative release date of July 2010 in the Early Stages of its planning. The story was going to follow Tracy Turnblad (played by Nikki Blonsky in the first installment) and her pals as they navigate the "next era of music," the late '60s.

According to the report, Waters had completed a treatment and in December of 2009 told Australia's Herald Sun: "They liked it. They paid me. That's the last I've heard of it... They asked me to write the treatment but I'm so obsessive I wrote every single thing that could happen to every character. It's different. You can't tell the same Hairspray story again, it's been told three times."

Director/choreographer Adam Shankman, the song-writing team of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, and producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron we on board for this second film, as well, which they hoped would again reunite all of the original stars.

Shankman recently confirmed that the team has decided to "leave well enough alone" and scrap the sequel, telling the Associated Press: "I'm going to kill that rumour now - that got killed. I was so happy with the first one, let's leave well enough alone. It's all good."

The first Hairspray 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.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!