Star-studded Cast announced for Fox's Rent Live!

Brandon Victor Dixon, Vanessa Hudgens, Keala Settle, Jordan Fisher, Mario and more will star in Rent Live! on Fox on January 27, 2019.

Fox has now announced casting for the hotly anticipated televised musical Rent Live! and, as expected, it's going to be a very star-studded affair when the cameras roll on January 27, 2019 for the live broadcast.

The cast includes (in alphabetical order) Kiersey Clemons (as Joanne Jefferson), Emmy Award nominee and Tony Award winner Brandon Victor Dixon (as Tom Collins), "Dancing with the Stars" winner Jordan Fisher (as Mark Cohen), "High School Musical" star Vanessa Hudgens (as Maureen Johnson), Brennin Hunt (as Roger Davis), R&B and "Empire" star Mario (as Benjamin Coffin III), recording artist Tinashe (as Mimi Marquez) and "RuPaul's Drag Race" star Valentina (as Angel Dumont Schunard).

In addition, Tony Award nominee Keala Settle will guest star as the soloist for perhaps the muscial's most iconic number "Seasons of Love".

Many of the cast are no strangers to Broadway or even to previous live, televised musicals, with Brandon Victor Dixon earning an Emmy Award nomination for his performance as Judas Iscariot in this year's widely celebrated "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert" on NBC (which aired on April 1) and with Vanessa Hudgens previously starring as Betty Rizzo in Fox's "Grease Live!" on January 31, 2016. Mr. Dixon has also starred on the Great White Way as Aaron Burr in Hamilton and as Berry Gordy in Motown The Musical and earned Tony Award nominations for his performances as Eubie Blake in Shuffle Along and as Harpo in The Color Purple, whilst Ms. Hudgens made her Broadway debut in the title role of the 2015 production of Gigi. She, of course, shot to fame in 2006 as Gabriella Montez in Disney's "High School Musical" franchise.

Other Broadway alumni in the mix include singer/songwriter Jordan Fisher, who made his Broadway debut in Hamilton in November 2016 and went on to win the 2017 edition of "Dancing with the Stars," as well as Keala Settle, who skyrocketed to global stardom thanks to her role as Lettie Lutz (aka "The Bearded Lady") in "The Greatest Showman" performing the Oscar-nominated smash hit "This Is Me". Ms. Settle previously earned a Tony Award nomination in 2013 for her performance as Norma Valverde in Hands on a Hardbody and also appeared in the Broadway productions of Waitress, Les Misérables, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Rent Live! will be directed by Michael Greif, who helmed the original New York Theatre Workshop and Broadway productions of Rent and earned a Tony Award nomination for his efforts. Alex Rudzinski will serve as the live television director, boasting a résumé that already includes "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert" and "Grease Live!"

Synopsis: "The groundbreaking, Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical is a re-imagining of Puccini's La Bohème, and set in New York City's gritty East Village. Rent tells the unforgettable story of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams during a time of great social and political turmoil. Winner of four Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize, writer/composer Jonathan Larson's tour de force continues to offer an inspiring message of hope and friendship."

Rent Live! features a book, music & lyrics by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Jonathan Larson, with Obie Award winner Kristoffer Diaz adapting the material for television.

The creative team also features costume design by Angela Wendt, who also worked on the Broadway production, music direction and production by Tony & Grammy Award winner Stephen Oremus, choreography by two-time Emmy Award nominee Sonya Tayeh, scenic design by Jason Sherwood, and lighting design by Emmy Award winner Al Gurdon.

Rent Live! will be broadcast from the historic Fox Studios in Los Angeles and produced by 20^th Century Fox Television, Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, Julie Larson, Allan Larson, and Revolution Studios.

^{(Jordan Fisher photo by Andrew Rose​ / Mario photo by Phillip Caruso​)}