The 2005 hit song "Hey There Delilah" may be coming to a television near after the single was adapted into a storyline, The Hollywood Reporter reported on Tuesday.
The song is a love story, written and performed by Chicago natives The Plain White Ts, about a college student and a struggling musician who live on opposite sides of the country. The script is described as a comedy and drama, which follows the fictional characters sung about "Hey There Delilah."
The band, who was nominated for a Grammy based on the hit single, has partnered with Lively McCabe Entertainment and Primary Wave to write the script. They are reportedly pitching the story to studios this month.
Plain White Ts lead singer, Tom Higgenson, is working with Lively McCabe Entertainment co-president Michael Barra to pitch the idea.
"'Hey There Delilah' is a perfect example of an iconic story song that has introduced characters and a premise to a massive multigenerational audience and is begging to be expanded into a full-length story for contemporary television audiences," Barra said in a statement. "Lively McCabe is thrilled to be working with Tom, Deb and Jeremy to bring it to life on the screen."
Higgenson spoke nostalgically of the song in his explanation for why it would translate well to television. "It's been more than a decade since 'Hey There Delilah' was released, and people always ask me about it. A whole lot of people really connected with that song, and I'm very proud of that," Higgenson said. "I'm so excited to have an opportunity to give a new generation the chance to form their own connection with the song, and fall in love with its story through this new project."
The duo connected at SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, which Higgenson wrote music for. Barra reached out to Higgenson with the television idea.
"He was inspired by my storytelling ability and he had this crazy idea to turn 'Delilah' into a show of some sort," Higgenson told Entertainment Weekly. "I jumped at the idea as soon as I heard it and we all got on board."
"Hey There Delilah" went platinum in 2007. It has been licensed for television shows like Sesame Street and Orange Is The New Black. The Plain White Ts have released three singles in 2018. They will release an album, Parallel Universe, on August 24.
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