Fox has cast the main character of Ralphie for its upcoming musical A Christmas Story Live! Andy Walken, and 11-year-old actor from Seattle, Wash., has landed the gig. Walken was one of more than 350 actors to apply for the role of Ralphie Parker, the boy whose only dream is to get a Red Ryder Range Model Carbine Action BB Gun for Christmas.
Walken joins a cast that includes Maya Rudolph, who will play the role of Ralphie’s mom, and Matthew Broderick, who will serve as the narrator. The musical is set to premiere Sunday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. ET.
Marc Platt, who previously produced Grease: Live for the network, is attached to serve as executive producer. Also executive producing is Adam Siegal, with Jonathan Tolins and Robert Cary serving as co-executive producers and writers. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who worked with Platt on La La Land and also scored A Christmas Story: The Musical, will compose “several new songs” (music and lyrics) for this live television event.
Fox’s live version of A Christmas Story will be produced by Warner Horizon Unscripted Television & Alternative Television, and this adaptation will be filmed for television on the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank, Calif.
