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Aaron Sorkin To Bring Live Version Of His ‘A Few Good Men’ To NBC

By Pam Wright
Published on: 06:59 PST, Mar 30, 2016

Aaron Sorkin will bring a live version of his 1992 critically acclaimed film, A Few Good Men, which was based on his stage play, to NBC in early 2017, the network announced Wednesday.

According to Deadline Hollywood, Chairman of NBC Entertainment Robert Greenblatt made the announcement.

“I am thrilled that Aaron Sorkin is coming back to NBC to adapt and produce a live broadcast of his electrifying play A Few Good Men, which seems as timely as ever today.”

Greenblatt went on to praise the immense talent of Aaron Sorkin, who also brought another critically acclaimed series, The West Wing, to NBC.

“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. I look forward to his collaboration with our ‘A-team’ producers, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, to bring another exciting piece of live drama to a broad audience.”

Aaron Sorkin said he is thrilled to be working with Zadan and Meron, who produced NBC’s live musicals.

“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.”

It has been a long road from idea to signed deal. As far back as November, 2014, NBC had been talking to Sorkin about bringing a live production of his play to the small screen.

Universal Television will produce in association with Sony Pictures Television, which holds the rights from the original Columbia/TriStar film deal on the play, and Warner Bros. Television.

A Few Good Men premiered on Broadway in 1989 at the Music Box Theatre and received wide critical acclaim. Three years later, he adapted the play as a feature film directed by Rob Reiner and starring Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, and Kevin Bacon. The film received four Oscar nominations, including for best picture and best supporting actor for Jack Nicholson. Aaron Sorkin received a Golden Globe nominations for his screenplay for the film.

According to Entertainment Weekly, A Few Good Men is set in 1986 in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and centers on military lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise), who is asked to defend three Marines on trial for murder.

Aaron Sorkin will write the teleplay adaptation and executive produce with Zadan and Meron for the NBC version, which will more closely align with the stage version.

NBC had led the charge in producing live productions, but this marks the network’s first foray into live drama. Its previous productions include The Sound of Music, starring Carrie Underwood in 2013, followed by musicals Peter Pan in 2014 and The Wiz Live last year.

For his work on The West Wing, which chronicled the inner workings of the white House and its staff for seven seasons on NBC, Aaron Sorkin won six Emmys. The series, which starred Martin Sheen as Democratic President Josiah Bartlett, won the Emmy for best drama four times.

An air date for the live production of A Few Good Men has not yet been set.

[Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images for Variety]

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