‘Romeo And Juliet’ Is Getting A TV Sequel From ShondaLand
Earlier this week we learnedCruel Intentions, the greatest love story of our time, was gettinga completely unnecessary-sounding TV sequel. NowRomeo and Juliet, the greatest love story of someone else’s time, is following suit.ABC has put into developmentStill Star-Crossed, based on a 2013 novel that picks up after the events ofWilliam Shakespeare’s teen romance classic.
Which sounds like a terrible idea, given that most of the characters you care about are dead after the events ofRomeo and Juliet(400-year-old spoiler alert), butStill Star-Crossedone has one big thing going for it: It’s coming out of ShondaLand, the same watercooler drama factory that gave usGrey’s Anatomy,Scandal, andHow to Get Away With Murder. Read about theRomeo and Julietsequel after the jump.
VarietyreportsStill Star-Crossedwill be written and executive produced byHeather Mitchell, a writer onScandalandGrey’s Anatomy.Shonda RhimesandBetsy Beerswill serve as non-writing executive producers.Michael R. Goldsteinis also executive producing.
Written byMelinda Taub,Still Star-Crossedis a young adult novel about the continuing feud between the Capulets and the Montagues in the wake of Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. to bring peace between the houses, Prince Escalus decrees that Benvolio (Romeo’s cousin, who tried to stop the escalating violence) must marry Rosaline (Juliet’s cousin, and Romeo’s pre-Juliet crush). Benvolio and Rosaline aren’t so hot on this idea, and so they join forces to try and end the feud before they’re forced to wed.
ShondaLand has mostly specialized in adult romance, soStill Star-Crossedis a bit of a departure for them. Otherwise, it sounds like the same formula that’s powered all of the company’s other hits: pretty people (presumably; casting hasn’t been announced) plus romance plus scandal plus intrigue. And while you can complain that ShondaLand can’t possibly do justice to Shakespeare’s impeccable language, we’ll just point out that Shakespeare never came up with the immortal line “Why is your penis on a dead girl’s phone?”
