Hugh Jackman gets direction in 'Greatest Showman on Earth'

(AFP PHOTO/Jewel SAMAD)

After Hugh Jackman finishes production on The Wolverine, sequel to 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and the musical Les Misérables, directed by Tom Hooper ( The King's Speech), he is scheduled to shoot The Greatest Showman on Earth.

The musical biopic of P.T. Barnum, the entertainer/entrepreneur who created the three-ring circus, will focus on his relationship with Jenny Lind, a Swedish opera singer.

The director for the project, Michael Gracey, known for his visual-effects work on films such as The Magician and Ned Kelly, worked with Jackman on a TV commercial for iced tea.

Gracey's directorial debut will be The Order of the Seven, Disney's version of the Snow White story, reports The Wrap. Other versions of the fairy tale include Snow White and the Huntsman starring Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth and an untitled film starring Julia Roberts and Lily Collins directed by Tarsem Singh.

Jackman will next star in Real Steel, the story of boxing robots, due in theaters October 7 in North America. He is also appearing as the Bunnyman in Rise of the Guardians with Chris Pine as Jack Frost, Alec Baldwin as Santa Claus, and Isla Fisher as the Tooth Fairy, together to form a united front against the Bogeyman.

RC