Disney is continuing to make more musicals into movies. The next one is The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Disney is closing a deal to get the rights for this hit show. If the deal goes through, this would become a movie musical.
Disney’s live-action Aladdin movie producers Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich are producing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee via their Rideback banner. Rideback’s Ryan Halprin will executive produce. Halprin appeared in the show in college.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a musical comedy that follows the background stories of a diverse group of competitors. It was based on an original improvisational play created by Rebecca Feldman called C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E. William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin worked with Rebecca Feldman to develop this into the full-length musical that would make its way to the stage. It arrived on Broadway in 2005 and quickly became a hit. It went on to become one of the top 100 longest-running Broadway shows.
Through the subsequent years, the show has been mounted both in the United States and around the globe. While producers have attempted to get this made into a movie for years, this appears to be the first time it is gaining any traction.
The next step is the search for the filmmakers who will adapt this musical into a movie musical. This has just gotten underway. There is no known release date at this point as everything is so early in the process. There is no guarantee at this point that this movie will for sure make it to the screen. However, Disney appears to be willing to give it a shot!
What do you think about The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee being made into a movie musical? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
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