David Bowie And John Legend To Write New Songs For Spongebob Squarepants Musical

The SpongeBob Musical will have its world premiere in Chicago, Illinois next summer (16) and bosses at U.S. network Nickelodeon, the producers of the project, have recruited a host of musicians to help turn the show into a success.

Bowie, Legend and Kinky Boots composer Lauper will join The Flaming Lips, rapper T.I., Aerosmith stars Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Lady Antebellum, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T's, Dirty Projectors and They Might Be Giants to provide new tracks for the stage production.

The SpongeBob Musical, co-created and directed by Tina Landau, with a book by Kyle Jarrow, will debut at Chicago's Oriental Theatre in June (16), with the hopes of transferring to Broadway at a later date.

Tom Kitt will serve as music supervisor for the musical, which producers have described as "a rousing tale of a simple sea sponge who faces the unfathomable. It's a celebration of unbridled hope, unexpected heroes, and pure theatrical invention."

The SpongeBob Squarepants franchise began as a cartoon series on Nickelodeon in 1999 and has since spawned two feature films, including this year's (15) live-action/animation sequel, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, which starred Antonio Banderas as the villain Burger-Beard the Pirate.