Hulu has given the greenlight to the eight-episode musical romantic comedy Up Here. Based on their 2015 stage musical of the same name, the series will be written by the Oscar-winning songwriting team of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, along with Tony winner Steven Levenson and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel. Original songs for the series are by Anderson-Lopez and Lopez.
Tony-winning director Thomas Kail (Hamilton) will helm the series. Set in New York City in 1999, it follows an ordinary couple that discover as they fall in love that the thing preventing their happiness just might be themselves—and the memories, obsessions, fears, and fantasies that live inside their heads.
In addition to their Tony-nominated Frozen, Robert Lopez has been represented on Broadway as the co-writer of Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon, winning Tony Awards for Best Score for both, as well as Best Book of a Musical for The Book of Mormon. Kristen Anderson-Lopez co-wrote the book, music, and lyrics for In Transit.
Levenson won a Tony for Best Book of a Musical for Dear Evan Hanson and most recently wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s autobiographical musical, tick, tick… Boom! Levenson and Kail previously collaborated on the FX series Fosse/Verdon.
20th Television and Kail’s Old 320 Sycamore Productions co-produce the series, with Jennifer Todd, Kail, Levenson, Sanchez-Witzel (The Carmichael Show), Anderson-Lopez, and Lopez serving as executive producers.
Casting is currently underway and the series is scheduled to begin production this summer in New York.
