'Peter Pan' will be the follow-up to NBC's live 'Sound of Music,' which brought in nearly 19 million viewers

NBC has announced that Peter Pan will be the next live musical for the network after The Sound of Music Live! pulled in 18.6 million viewers. NBC entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt announced at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour that Peter Pan is set to air on Dec. 4.

Based on James M. Barrie's iconic book and musical, the story was taken to Broadway in 1954 and appeared in a live broadcast on NBC in 1955 starring Mary Martin and Cyril Richard. It was the first live broadcast of a musical in color and it was re-aired in 1956 and 1960.

Greenblatt, also a Broadway producer, announced in December that the network would be looking for another musical that appeals to both adults and children. The network will team up again with The Sound of Music producers, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

"We're very pleased to be underway on Peter Pan as our next live holiday musical for the whole family," Greenblatt said Sunday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "We were all delighted to see how The Sound of Music Live! struck such a chord in December and brought nearly 19 million people to the live telecast plus another several million viewers over the weekend. In the hopes that lightning strikes twice, we think we've landed on another great Broadway musical -- which ironically also starred Mary Martin -- that is a timeless classic for all audiences, young and old, who just never want to grow up."

Greenblatt believes this time the process will be smoother than with The Sound of Music Live!, which took the network 18 months to put together.