Idina Menzel to Star in Remake of Beaches

According to a Deadline report, the hit 1988 film Beaches will get a small-screen remake for the Lifetime network, starring Tony winner Idina Menzel (Wicked, Frozen). She will take on the role of C.C. (famously played by Better Midler in the film), and will sing the iconic songs "Wind Beneath My Wings" and "The Glory of Love." Menzel will also record additional songs for the Lifetime remake, produced by Denise Di Novi (Crazy Stupid Love) and Alison Greenspan (If I Stay). The film is set for a 2017 premiere.

The 1988 film was adapted by Mary Agnes Donoghue from the Iris Rainer Dart novel of the same name and directed by the late Garry Marshall. The story follows the 30-year friendship of C.C. and Hillary (played in the film by Barbara Hershey) from their childhood to adulthood.

Allison Anders (Ring of Fire) will direct the Lifetime remake, which will feature a script by Bart Barker (Honeymoon with Harry) and Nikole Beckwith (Stockholm, Pennsylvania). Production is set to begin on August 15.

A musical adaptation of the film has also been in development for several years, with a world-premiere production at Virginia's Signature Theatre, followed by a mounting at Chicago's Drury Lane Theatre. The production includes music by David Austin, lyrics by Iris Rainer Dart, and a book by Dart and Thom Thomas.