Heathers: The Musical?
It’s hard to think of a film that’s done dark, satirical teen comedy better than Heathers, and now it looks like it’s taking its little black tale to the stage … as a musical no less. According to THR, the production is being developed by Andy Fickman, director of Race to Witch Mountain, who is making a return to his musical roots.
The trade reports: Fickman, who helmed the musical Reefer Madness, is working with Reefer partner Kevin Murphy, who is writing the Heathers lyrics and the book, and composer Larry O’Keefe, who earned a Tony nomination for best score for the Broadway version of Legally Blonde. The project has the blessing of [original screenwriter] Dan Waters, who controls the underlying rights to the material. Fickman said he sat down with Waters early on “to make sure we were on the same page” and that Waters has seen the readings.
“He understood that our goals were to be creatively attuned to his original work,” said Fickman. The film offered many over-top-moments as well as choice lines, something Fickman is eager to bring out musically. “‘I love my dead gay son’,” Fickman quoted. “If you can get that into a song, then that is just perfect.”
They’re shooting for a regional launch in 2010, followed by a Broadway run, and of course another crack at the big screen a la John Waters’ Hairspray. As remakes/reimaginings go, we could do a lot worse. If it manages to keep the bite and tone of the Winona/Christian dynamic, we could be in for a fun time.
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