Hugh Jackman is an actor with many talents, but among them is the ability to deliver strong musical performances. While plenty of actors have sung for the silver screen, Jackman is pretty well-established within the theater world. He has been on Broadway several times and also served as a host for the Tonys on multiple occasions.

His roots really stem from musicals, which are a huge part of what has made him famous. One of Jackman’s earlier roles was playing Curly in a TV movie version of Oklahoma!

This actually came before X-Men, the 2000 superhero action movie, which earned Jackman more widespread recognition. After his Wolverine debut, Jackman dedicated more time to the X-Men series. He still plays this character today, recently appearing in last year’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine.

But something always brings Jackman back to musical theaters. He played Jean Valjean in Tom Hooper’s 2012 adaptation of Les Misérables, which earned Jackman his first and only Oscar nomination. Now, the actor is returning to musicals again with a movie coming out later this year.

Hugh Jackman Has A New True Story Musical Coming Out This December

Song Sung Blue Comes Out On Christmas

This December, Jackman will star in the movie Song Sung Blue. Based on a true story, the film is a pop musical docudrama about a husband-and-wife duo who perform a Neil Diamond tribute act together. The film will follow their journeys both musically and in life as they undergo success and heartbreak.

Jackman plays Mike Sardina, the husband of the married musical duo. Playing opposite Jackman is Kate Hudson as Claire Sardina. The supporting cast includes Jim Belushi, Michael Imperioli, Fisher Stevens, Beth Malone, and King Princess.

Song Sun Blue is directed by Craig Brewer, whose past credits include Hustle & Flow, Dolemite is My Name, and Coming 2 America. The movie is set for a Christmas Day release date of December 25, 2025.

Song Sung Blue Is Copying The Roadmap To Hugh Jackman’s Success With The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman Was A Box Office Hit

Jackman has already found success with a based-on-a-true-story musical in The Greatest Showman. Like Song Sung Blue, the film focused on artists, this time telling the story of famous but fraught circus extraordinaire P.T. Barnum. The film also starred an A-list set of people.

Another commonality between these two musicals is their release timeframe. The Greatest Showman came out on December 20, 2017, just a few days before Christmas. As such, Song Sung Blue will have a similarly captive holiday audience.

While its critical reviews varied, The Greatest Showman was a major box office hit. It ended up making over $470 million worldwide on an estimated $84 million budget, which was beyond what many predicted. This could signal a similarly successful run for Song Sung Blue.

There’s One Big Difference Between Song Sung Blue & The Greatest Showman

Song Sung Blue Is More Dramatic

This is not to say, however, that The Greatest Showman and Song Sung Blue are identical films. Song Sung Blue is described as a musical drama, lacking the fantastical elements that characterized Jackman’s previous musical. These elements gave The Greatest Showman a crowd-pleasing quality and ensured that the film was family-friendly.

The MPA rating has not yet been revealed for Song Sung Blue, but it could be that the film is more adult-oriented since the plot is more of a relationship drama than anything else. Furthermore, the movie centers around Neil Diamond’s music, which is for an older generation of fans. As such, it may struggle to get as wide an audience.

Lacking the spectacle and wide demographic appeal of The Greatest Showman could work against Song Sung Blue at the box office. Musicals can succeed at the box office, but doing so is typically an uphill battle. Jackman’s involvement and history in musicals will still elevate the film, but Song Sung Blue is far from certain to be a hit.