Universal Pictures is developing an original film musical inspired by the music of Prince, according to Variety. Universal Chairman Donna Langley said the film studio worked aggressively to nab the rights to classic songs from the artist’s catalogue.
The upcoming Prince movie will not be a biopic, but an original story with the songs driving the narrative, much like the use of Abba songs in Mamma Mia!. The news comes months after that film’s sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, pulled in $400 million worldwide. This year also saw Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody become the biggest music biopic of all time, raking in $534 million, while Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born remake, which starred Lady Gaga, earned more than $350 million at the worldwide box office. Clearly, musicals still mean big business in Hollywood.
The Prince estate and the studio decided that the 1984 film Purple Rain covered the biopic territory already, so the two parties are meeting with potential writers and producers to come up with a completely original story.
The film will be executive produced by Atom Factory’s Troy Carter, the entertainment adviser of Prince’s estate, alongside Universal Music Publishing Group Chairman and CEO Jody Gerson. Universal Music owns exclusive worldwide publishing rights for Prince’s catalogue.
Prince is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He sold more than 100 million records worldwide, won eight Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award for Purple Rain. Prince, whose legal name was Prince Rogers Nelson, died in 2016. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Selma director Ava DuVernay will also be making a Prince documentary for Netflix next year.
This isn’t the only musical that Universal has on its slate, either. Also in development at the studio is Last Christmas, which will feature the music of the late Wham! frontman George Michael, and a film adaptation of the Broadway smash Cats, starring Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, James Corden and Jason Derulo. The movie musical renaissance continues…