Jesus Christ Superstar Live! featuring John Legend as Jesus Christ

NBC is preparing to bring back Jesus Christ Superstar for an all new live special on the network, and they’ve tapped John Legend to be Jesus Christ.

John Legend as Jesus Chris? Yes, you’re reading that correctly!

Over at Deadline, the news has broken about a major casting decision made in NBC’s upcoming Jesus Christ Superstar Live! special. Musician John Legend has been named as the one to take on the coveted role of Jesus in the story. Joining him will be another musical legend from a completely different genre — Alice Cooper will be playing King Herod. The production is being directed by David Leveaux.

Though Legend has made a big name for himself in the music world with five studio releases, he’s no stranger to acting. You can see him in the acclaimed film La La Land and on TV shows such as Curb Your Entusiasm, Soul Men, and Underground. For his part, Legend seems ecstatic to take on the role:

"“It’s such a powerful, meaningful musical and I’m humbled to be part of this performance. We’ve already formed an incredible team, and, as we finish casting, I’m certain we will put together some of the greatest talents around to do this work justice.”"

Of course, Legend breaks the mold of the way many Americans picture Jesus Christ. NBC chairman Robert Greenblatt is praising the move as “ground-breaking”, allowing people to be presented the image of Christ in a new way.

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Jesus Christ Superstar Live! will air on NBC on Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018.