Hammerstein II originally wrote Cinderella as a musical exclusively for television starring Julie Andrews, which aired in 1957 to 107 million viewers. The telecast was remade in 1965 starring Lesley Ann Warren, airing annually on CBS from 1965 to 1972. The idea to remake Cinderella for television a second time originated as early as 1992, at which time producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron first approached the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization about obtaining the screen rights to the production. Further development was inspired by the success of CBS' adaptation of the stage musical Gypsy (1993) starring Bette Midler which, in addition to being credited with reviving interest in the genre, Zadan and Meron had also produced; CBS executive Jeff Sagansky asked Zadan and Meron to start brainstorming ideas for a follow-up shortly after Gypsy premiered. The day after Gypsy's original broadcast, Whitney Houston's agent Nicole David asked the producers if they were interested in developing a similar project starring her client, to whom they suggested Cinderella with Houston playing the titular role. CBS originally intended to air the completed film by the end of the 1994-1995 television season, but the project was continuously delayed. The network grew disinterested in favor of other titles by 1996, while Houston herself was already committed to several other projects. Zadan explained that, because of her popularity, Houston "had so many other concrete things that she was doing that 'Cinderella' took a back seat". The singer eventually aged to the point at which she no longer felt suitable for the role of Cinderella. Houston explained that by the time she became a wife and mother, she was not "quite feeling like Cinderella" anymore, believing that portraying the ingenue would require significant "reaching" for herself as an actress. By the late 1990s, Disney had grown interested in reviving their long-running anthology program The Wonderful World of Disney. Hoping to relaunch the series using "a big event", Disney CEO Michael Eisner approached Zadan and Meron about potential television projects; the producers suggested Houston's Cinderella, which Eisner green-lit immediately. After relocating their production company, Storyline Entertainment, from CBS to Disney Studios, Zadan and Meron re-introduced the project to Houston. Agreeing that Cinderella required a certain "naivete ... that's just not there when you're 30-something", the producers suggested that Houston play Cinderella's fairy godmother instead, a role she accepted because it was "less demanding" and time consuming. For the