# "Grease" prequel in the works **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 10, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336 "2019-04-10T15:08:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/1 "2019-04-10T15:08:25Z")
Apparently [a “Grease” prequel is in the works](https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2019/04/09/grease-prequel-summer-nights-explore-sandy-and-dannys-romance/3415575002/), showing how Danny and Sandy first met(as described in the song “Summer Nights”). Half the websites say it will be called “Summer Lovin’” and the other half “Summer Nights”. Anyone left from _Sha Na Na_ to do the soundtrack? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/2 "2019-04-10T15:46:53Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Anyone left from _Sha Na Na_ to do the soundtrack? No idea who the current line-up is but [they’re on tour](http://www.shanana.com/tour-dates.htm). ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/3 "2019-04-10T17:34:56Z")
I’m surprised no one has done a Grease prequel before now. The backstory of how Sandy and Danny met during that fateful summer could be very interesting. The movie hints that Danny was much different away from the influence of his greaser friends at Rydell High School. It would be interesting to see this Danny and perhaps also show hints of his real greaser, T-Birds persona. We know who he really is, but Sandy is clueless. Could be a lot of fun. I’ll watch this movie. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/4 "2019-04-10T21:26:19Z")
I bet Stockard Channing can play a teenager just as well as she did in 1978. But without Eve Arden it just isn’t going to work. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/5 "2019-04-10T21:31:37Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I bet Stockard Channing can play a teenager just as well as she did in 1978. > > But without Eve Arden it just isn’t going to work. The movie will be about the two of them meeting somewhere else-why would either of those two characters be there? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/6 "2019-04-10T21:57:06Z")
Well, to begin with _Grease_ is a pretty lame musical and I can’t see how you could create a compelling story knowing that Sandy and Danny will meet in the fall. You know they’re going to separate by the end, and you also know they will get together later, so there’s no emotional basis for the story. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/7 "2019-04-10T22:04:21Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I bet Stockard Channing can play a teenager just as well as she did in 1978. > > But without Eve Arden it just isn’t going to work. The best thing about the movie version of _Grease_ was Stockard Channing. The second best thing was Olivia Newton-John’s spandex pants. Michelle Pfeiffer wore tight jeans in _Grease 2_. And even though it was Michelle Pfeiffer, it just wasn’t the same. No Stockard Channing and no spandex pants and I don’t go see the movie. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/8 "2019-04-11T01:52:36Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Well, to begin with _Grease_ is a pretty lame musical and I can’t see how you could create a compelling story knowing that Sandy and Danny will meet in the fall. You know they’re going to separate by the end, and you also know they will get together later, so there’s no emotional basis for the story. Well, it’s a good musical in that it has songs the general population likes to listen to. Plot wise, nothing wrong with it. Can’t imagine what criteria you might be using. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/9 "2019-04-11T02:18:02Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > The best thing about the movie version of _Grease_ was Stockard Channing. The second best thing was Olivia Newton-John’s spandex pants. > > Michelle Pfeiffer wore tight jeans in _Grease 2_. And even though it was Michelle Pfeiffer, it just wasn’t the same. > > No Stockard Channing and no spandex pants and I don’t go see the movie. Then you won’t go see the movie, because you seem to be unable to understand what the prequel is about: _It takes place before they met in school. It takes place before the characters you are talking about meet Sandy for the very first time. It takes place somewhere far away from that school and all those characters tied to that school._ ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/10 "2019-04-11T02:55:30Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Well, it’s a good musical in that it has songs the general population likes to listen to. Plot wise, nothing wrong with it. Can’t imagine what criteria you might be using. Weak story, a contempt for its subject and its characters (who are walking cliches at best), and a mediocre score (especially if you don’t use the songs added for the movie). It’s a cynical attempt at pseudo nostalgia. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/11 "2019-04-11T03:05:18Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Then you won’t go see the movie, because you seem to be unable to understand what the prequel is about: _It takes place before they met in school. It takes place before the characters you are talking about meet Sandy for the very first time. It takes place somewhere far away from that school and all those characters tied to that school._ I am perfectly able to understand what the prequel is about. What you seem to be unable to understand is that I am uninterested in the three-month Summer Loving period when Sandy met Danny. Furthermore, I assert that Rizzo and Stockard Channing’s portrayal of her was both the most interesting character and best performance in the original movie, and that if there’s going to be a prequel, it should focus on her. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/12 "2019-04-11T07:31:48Z")
Did she put up a fight? _Directed by Lars von Trier._ ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/13 "2019-04-11T10:25:37Z")
So is this a prequel to the stage show, or to the movie? Like, are they going for painstakingly accurate connective tissue _Rogue One_-style, with a digital Travolta? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/14 "2019-04-11T11:38:30Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > The movie will be about the two of them meeting somewhere else-why would either of those two characters be there? Because they were friends of Danny’s, even before he met Sandy. They’d likely need to establish his T-Bird image to show how he acted like a different person around her, as opposed to acting like a different person when he’s the tough guy. And where there’s T-Birds, there’s Pink Ladies. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/15 "2019-04-11T12:17:39Z")
I presume the actors will be in their late 30s… ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/16 "2019-04-11T13:31:38Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Because they were friends of Danny’s, even before he met Sandy. They’d likely need to establish his T-Bird image to show how he acted like a different person around her, as opposed to acting like a different person when he’s the tough guy. > > And where there’s T-Birds, there’s Pink Ladies. In which case there would be no reason to explain what happened over the summer to the T-Birds and Pink Ladies in the song “Summer Nights”. In fact, the song “Summer Nights” is itself sufficient backstory for the relationship; we don’t really need it fleshed out to movie length. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/17 "2019-04-11T13:37:10Z")
It would be a nice touch to bring back some of the supporting cast for a five to ten minute scene. Older characters reminiscing about high school and Danny/Sandy. Before/After of the cast. Some haven’t changed that much since the movie. Easily identified by fans of the original. [https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4826431/grease-cast-then-and-now-danny-sandy/amp/](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4826431/grease-cast-then-and-now-danny-sandy/amp/) I admit a scene like this has become a cliché. Hard to predict if it’s worth the time and expense. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/18 "2019-04-11T13:42:08Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > It would be a nice touch to bring back some of the supporting cast for a five to ten minute scene. Older characters reminiscing about high school and Danny/Sandy. > > Before/After of the cast. Some haven’t changed that much since the movie. Easily identified by fans of the original. > [Here's what the Grease cast are up to 43 years on](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4826431/grease-cast-then-and-now-danny-sandy/amp/) Well, Jeff Conaway is definitely out of the picture. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/19 "2019-04-11T14:15:04Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > In fact, the song “Summer Nights” is itself sufficient backstory for the relationship; we don’t really need it fleshed out to movie length. Yes we do, it’s right there in the song. “Tell me more! Tell me more!” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336/20 "2019-04-11T14:16:29Z")
My prequel: Danny, seeing Sandy is a nice, polite, wholesome lady, decides to act like a nice, polite, wholesome gentleman to see what the relationship is like. Hijinx ensue when the T-birds and their ladies surprise Danny by showing up at the beach, and he has to keep them and Sandy from meeting each other. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grease-prequel-in-the-works/832336.md?page=2)