David Bowie to write songs for a new Spongebob Squarepants musical

David Bowie is set to write songs for an upcoming Broadway adaptation of SpongeBob Squarepants. He’ll be one of many high profile artists getting involved in the new musical, which will show in a short run of shows at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre in 2016.

As Entertainment Weekly reports, Dirty Projectors, The Flaming Lips, John Legend, Cyndi Lauper, and Panic! At the Disco will all be involved in writing music for the production. Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Jonathon Coulton, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants, Lady Antebellum and T.I are also reportedly in on the new project.

Speaking about the SpongeBob musical, director Tina Landau said in a statement “we’re taking our leads from the TV show but this is an original story, with an original design approach, and original songs written just for the occasion by an amazing array of songwriters. We will present the world of Bikini Bottom and its characters in a whole new way that can only be achieved in the live medium of the theatre.”

This isn’t the first time that David Bowie has shown interest in SpongeBob and his pineapple under the sea. Back in 2007 he voiced the character of the Lord Royal Highness in the film Atlantis SquarePantis. At the time an enthusiastic Bowie said “I’ve hit the Holy Grail of animation gigs… nothing else need happen this year, well, this week anyway.”