Julianne Hough and Vanessa Hudgens are set to star in a live version of the musical Grease. Fox made the casting announcement on Saturday (17th January) at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, California.

Vanessa Hudgens
Julianne Hough is set to star in Grease: Live.

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26-year-old Hough, best known for being a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars, will star as Sandy, as THR reports. 26-year-old Hudgens, the former Disney star known for her roles in such films as High School Musical, will play the part of Rizzo. 

Both actors are well acquainted with musical theatre and Hough, evidently a talented dancer, has proven herself to be an adept singer with her appearances in such musical films as Burlesque, Footloose and Rock of Ages. Hudgens has previously released two studio albums and appeared in numerous Disney films. She currently stars in Gigi as the title character on Broadway. 

Hough shared her excitement on Twitter as soon as the casting was announced. She wrote "I'm so excited to be joining the cast of Grease Live as Sandy!" She added the hashtag 'tell me about it stud', a classic line from the musical. 

Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa Hudgens will play Rizzo in the live production of Grease.

Hough, appearing at the press event, also explained why her role in Grease means so much to her. "Grease is one of the movies that made me want to be an entertainer, and I have literally been waiting my whole life to play Sandy. My siblings and I watched it and played it out over and over when we were kids," Hough said. "This is my dream role and performing it live on television will be one of the most thrilling opportunities I've had in my career so far."

The production, currently going under the working title Grease: Live, will air live on 31st January 2016. The three hour production follows the success of NBC's live musical shows including their most recent show Peter Pan Live! which aired in December 2014. 

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