PARIS (AFP) - You're The One That I Want. Grease is about to come roaring back with that song, and more, via a small-screen version called Grease: Rydell High, named after the high school in which the 1978 movie was based.

With Summer Loving, a big-screen prequel to the musical also in the pipeline, WarnerMedia Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt revealed on Tuesday (Oct 15) that a spin-off series based on the musical is in the making.

Like the original, the updated story will explore teenage angst and peer pressure, the horrors of puberty and life in middle America.

It will also feature some of the original songs and hits from the 1950s, Mr Greenblatt told delegates at Mipcom, the world's biggest entertainment market in Cannes, France.

"We're going to reinvent it as a musical series, with some of the music of the show, some of the characters. We're going to build out the world of the show that everybody loves... into a big, fun rock 'n' roll musical," he added.

Sparked by the success of 2017 Oscar winner La La Land, Hollywood has taken the form to its heart again with Steven Spielberg shooting West Side Story with a new screenplay by Tony Kushner.

Mr Greenblatt said the new show will be made by Paramount for cable network HBO, which will stream it on its upcoming online platform HBO Max.

The latter, which is set to become a major challenger for Netflix in the streaming wars, is due to roll out in the first few months of 2020.