'The Nutcracker' Is Coming To TV

When I think of Christmas, there's one thing that immediately comes to mind — besides Santa Claus and presents and the Grinch, of course — and that is The Nutcracker . Not only is the Tchaikovsky ballet a holiday classic, but it also happens to be the one I was in during my childhood dance stint, so I have a double soft spot. Every December, I make sure to see a production of The Nutcracker, whether in person or while drinking hot chocolate in my pajamas and watching it on TV. Thankfully, it looks like the latter will be a lot easier this year, as The Nutcracker is coming to NBC as a two-hour TV movie just in time for Christmas, and it's going to be amazing.

If you're a So You Think You Can Dance fan, you'll be extra excited to know that the Nutcracker TV movie is the brain child of producer, director, and choreographer Adam Shankman as part of his Offspring Entertainment company. Better yet, Travis Wall will choreograph the movie, ensuring that there's going to be some seriously high quality dancing going on (as if that wasn't obvious enough). It should go without saying that I seriously can't wait.

Shankman's version of The Nutcracker is said to be a "contemporary reimagining" of the classic tale that will take place in New York City, with Clara portrayed as a high school outcast who teams up with a "Nutcracker-turned-Prince to battle assassins" around the city. And while I'm certainly a fan of the classic Nutcracker tale, I'm also not against a clever retelling or update of the story if it's done well. With Shankman and Wall involved (among others), I'm sure that's pretty much a given.

It's unclear yet when NBC will broadcast the new Nutcracker movie, but given how perfect it is for their upcoming holiday season lineup, I think it's fair to say that we'll be seeing it in the next six to eight weeks. In the meantime, we'll just have to live in suspense and excitement, knowing that a new version of the Nutcracker tale is about to be added to the mix, and it's going to be amazing.

Images: Giphy