Michelle Pfeiffer has been hired to co-star in the upcoming remake of Hairspray for New Line Cinema. She’ll play Velma von Tussel, a former Baltimore beauty queen turned bitter Boston TV station owner, according to Variety.

The Adam Shankman directed film already has John Travolta, Queen Latifah, and Amanda Bynes on board. All of whom can sing and dance at least a little. The movie’s a musical, so the same will be required of Pfeiffer. She hasn’t done any singing since The Fabulous Baker Boys, but she was in Grease 2 so she’s no stranger to unnecessary musical re-treading.

Hairspray starts shooting September 5 to target a late 2007 release date. Other than the opportunity to see John Travolta cross-dress, I’m not sure how to explain all the interest in this project, but it’s there. People seem to be following it closely, but then people are also pretty interested in whether or not Brad Pitt enjoyed his new daughter's first burp. It’s a strange world.