John Legend is set to make his theatrical debut by playing Jesus in the upcoming NBC revival of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. The three-hour long performance will be executive produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and is helmed by British theatre director David Leveaux.
“It’s such a powerful, meaningful musical and I’m humbled to be part of this performance," John tells Deadline. "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.”
NBC Entertainment's chairman, Robert Greenblatt, tells the publication that everyone's "overjoyed" to have a "world-class musical artist and producer" play Jesus, adding, "this score demands a singer with an amazing range and an actor with great depth, and there isn’t anyone better to bring this story to a new audience. His casting is also ground-breaking as the traditional image of Christ will be seen in a new way.”
The performance will air live on April 1st, Easter Sunday.
John's wife, Chrissy Teigen, recently revealed the two are expecting their second child with an Instagram video that showed their young daughter Luna pointing to Chrissy's stomach saying there's a "baby" in there.