It's really hard to make a good musical because what works on Broadway won't necessarily sell to a mainstream audience. Alterations and compromises must be made, but the truly great musicals, the Greases and The Rocky Horror Picture Shows live well beyond their sell by dates. It's all risk/reward, but as these things go, the upcoming Rock Of Ages is shaping up to be one of the surest musical bets in a long time.

According to Deadline, Russell Brand looks to be the next in a long string of A-listers excited about coming on board. The adaptation of the over-the-top musical already has Alec Baldwin and Tom Cruise very interested, and now the Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To The Greek star is working out the details. It all comes back to Cruise. Once he makes it official, the others will fall into place.

If rumors are correct, Brand will play Lonnie, the underling of Baldwin's character, and his duet partner in an epic REO Speedwagon rendition. You may remember REO Speedwagon as Billy Madison's favorite band, and while the t-shirt may not have earned him cool points when he went back to high school, it'll certainly score big with nostalgic hair metal fans the world over. I can't fight this feeling Rock Of Ages will be awesome. Who wouldn't want to hear these three belt out the most ludicrous anthems of the me decade? Big hair, big box office returns.