'SpongeBob SquarePants' Is Heading to Broadway With New Music From John Legend and T.I.

'SpongeBob SquarePants,' the confirmed greatest television series of all time, is finally getting a Broadway makeover.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Though 1999 was a particularly dark year for American pop culture, the country's first post-Seinfeld year of existence was given small comfort in the form of Nickelodeon debuting the now iconic SpongeBob SquarePants. The series was delightfully weird and immediately secured a rabid following, a following so strong it still readily supports big screen adaptations of the Bikini Bottom universe.

However, a franchise has never truly made it until its inevitable leap to the Broadway stage in the form of a star-stacked musical. The SpongeBob Musical, set to debut in 2016, gives creator Stephen Hillenburg's underwater classic that final distinction. According to The Wrap, the show will feature original songs from a perfectly varied group of presumed SpongeBob fanatics:

The score will feature original songs by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Jonathan Coulton, Dirty Projectors, The Flaming Lips, John Legend, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants and T.I. and David Bowie.

"SpongeBob long ago transcended the TV screen to become a pop culture icon inspiring everyone from kids and families to artists and musicians, pro athletes, movie stars, fashion designers, social media mavens and even the President," Viacom Kids and Family Group president Cyma Zarghami said in a statement. “This character has achieved a level of global popularity that we could never have imagined, and bringing him to Broadway is a way to give him a new platform, literally, to reach audiences of all ages who are looking for an engaging, funny and innovative musical theatre experience.”

Though no plot details are currently known, one can only hope this adaptation will capture the joyous spirit of this interpolation:

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