NBC taps Aaron Sorkin and ‘A Few Good Men’ for next live production

A few good men are making their way to NBC and one of them happens to be Aaron Sorkin.

The Emmy- and Oscar-winning screenwriter is returning to the network to spearhead a live performance of his acclaimed play “A Few Good Men,” which is set to air in early 2017, NBC announced Wednesday.

“The West Wing” and “Newsroom” scribe will be adapting the stage version of his military courtroom drama for live television and will co-produce the show with live production duo Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who previously worked on the network’s live musicals “The Sound of Music Live!” “Peter Pan Live!” and “The Wiz Live!”

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“I’ve been incredibly impressed watching NBC resurrect live musical theater for television and I’m eager to team up with Craig and Neil to help bring live drama back as well,” Sorkin said in a statement, noting that his play is the first non-musical production in the network’s live-television resurgence.

“A Few Good Men,” which centers on a military lawyer hired to defend three Marines on trial for murder and pioneered the line “You can’t handle the truth,” premiered on Broadway in 1989 to critical acclaim. A few years later, Sorkin adapted the screenplay for Rob Reiner’s 1992 film starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon and Kiefer Sutherland, and it went on to earn four Oscar nominations, including best picture.

“Aaron is one of the most acclaimed theater, television and film authors of our time, and I am pleased that the live event business that we pioneered with musicals is now expanding into other genres and attracting artists of his caliber,” said NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt. Greenblatt also said that a staging of the “electrifying” play “seems as timely as ever today.”

Zadan and Meron said they “couldn’t be more thrilled” to work on the play with Sorkin, adding that the stage production was “one of the most compelling dramas” the producing duo has ever seen.

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“Not only have Bob Greenblatt and NBC taken a chance on live musicals, but they are now exposing a national audience to riveting live dramas. We’re very excited to be a part of these groundbreaking TV events,” the producers said in a statement.

Casting and a specific air date will be announced later, the network said.

Twitter: @NardineSaad

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