Alice Cooper Cast in NBC's 'Jesus Christ Superstar' Live Show

Alice Cooper will headline NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar live show, the network announced Friday.

The 69-year-old Cooper will star as King Herod in the rock concert adaptation of the legendary Biblical musical. David Leveaux, a five-time Tony Award nominee who directed revivals of Nine and Cyrano de Bergerac, has joined to direct.

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice are executive producing the show with Marc Platt, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

"Alice Cooper, whose theatricality is the stuff of legend, is the perfect rock star to play Herod in our live production," Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment, said in a statement.

"Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice wrote a showstopping musical number for Herod and we all look forward to the 'King of Shock Rock' taking on the King of Judea. As the casting for 'Superstar' ramps up, we can feel the excitement building for this brand new concert experience of what has long been considered the original rock musical."

Cooper has a long history with Jesus Christ Superstar. He starred in the 1996 U.K. revival, and recorded "King Herod's Song" for the 2000 cast album.

Jesus Christ Superstar Live! will air on Easter Sunday, April 1.

NBC has had success with previous live musicals, including The Sound of Music, Peter Pan, The Wiz and Hairspray.

Fox also got in on the game, mounting productions of Grease and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Fox is airing a live version of A Christmas Story later this month.

Photo by Jeffrey Mayer / WireImage / NBC