Several months ago, we learned that Nickelodeon signed a straight-to-series order for School of Rock, a brand new TV series based on the well-liked film of the same name. When Nickelodeon announced the series, we learned that 13 episodes will be produced, but at the time, we didn’t know if any of the cast members from the original movie planned to star or pop up in the TV show. This week, someone finally asked Jack Black, who played the lead in the original movie, if he would appear in Nickelodeon’s School Of Rock. Here’s what the actor had to say.
“School of Rock is cropping up in the strangest places, on Nickelodeon and on Broadway with Andrew Lloyd Webber. And I have nothing to do with any of them. It’s kind of like one of my kids grew up and did things without my approval.”
Speaking at the TCA conference, Black confirmed that he has not been involved with the new School of Rock TV project. Black was obviously not going to be a lead, as he has bigger fish to fry and Tony Cavalero has already been signed on as Dewey Finn, the down-and-out rocker who eventually signs on to teach music at a prep school. However, a guest stint is always a nice way to tie back to an original project.
It’s not like Jack Black is anti-School of Rock. A couple of years ago, the main cast got together for a reunion performance in Austin, Texas where they actually played music.
While Black won’t appear in School of Rock he will be starring in another TV series. He’s signed on for HBO’s highly anticipated new series The Brink, a half-hour comedy that will also star Tim Robbins. We don’t know a ton about the series, but we do know Black and Robbins will play government officers involved in a geopolitical crisis. So, you’ll definitely catch him on your TV soon, and it will be on a more prestigious channel than Nickelodeon.
Although Jack Black won’t be involved with the new series, a few School of Rock names will be. School of Rock producer Scott Rudin is on board to executive produce the upcoming series. School of Rock director Richard Linkater (you know, the dude who has been getting a lot of laud this year for his latest flick Boyhood?) is signed on in the same capacity. School of Rock is expected to hit Nickelodeon in early 2015.
