One-Woman Play Marilyn: Forever Blonde In Development For TV Special

Marilyn Monroe is headed for the screen – again – and this time it’s for the small screen. A television special based on the play Marilyn: Forever Blonde has been optioned for development and will be pitched to both network and cable channels in the search for a place to take on the project.

Marilyn: Forever Blonde stars Sunny Thompson in a one-woman show that draws only from Marilyn’s own words to recreate her life story on the stage. The play was written by her husband, Greg Thompson, who told audiences in a Q&A session following the LA performance I attended in August that he had to convince Sunny to take on the iconic role. It’s a good thing he did; she does the best job of playing Marilyn I have ever seen either live or on the screen. The play intertwines Marilyn’s words with songs from her career used brilliantly to illustrate both the high and low moments of her life.

The television special would blend scenes from the stage show along with interviews of celebrities and fans attending the live performances, says Deadline. It looks like they would want to move quickly to get the special aired, since they’re looking to release it on home video early in 2013. Moving quickly also makes sense since 2012 marked the 50th anniversary of Monroe’s 1962 death at the age of 36, and interest in the actress has been high. Greg Thompson’s Lipstick Productions will co-produce the special with Eisenberg-Fisher Productions.

Marilyn: Forever Blonde debuted in 2007 in Hollywood and has since been performed across the globe to strong reviews.