Hairspray’s success still astounds me. A cult John Waters flick from the ‘80s converted into a musical for Broadway and then adapted into a new movie? Somehow it works though, and audiences ate up the movie musical last year. So what follows a hit film? A sequel of course! Even though the original Hairspray never had a second picture, plans are in the works to bring back Tracy Turnblad and crew for another musical adventure that will extend the franchise into the ‘60s.
The director of Hairspray told Entertainment Weekly that John Waters has provided ideas and an outline has been put together for the sequel that will take the movie into the next era of music - the late ‘60s. "That period was superpolitical; it was a time of serious change." A new era will also mean changes for the characters, such as Link (Zac Efron) getting caught up in the British invasion, which means embracing his inner Austin Powers. Yikes, baby!
The next step for Hairspray 2 is to pick up some writers and flesh that outline into a full story. It sounds like this is one sequel that is definitely moving forward though.
