Jon M. Chu will direct a movie-musical adaptation of JOSEPH...DREAMCOAT for Amazon

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 10:46am

Chu is becoming king of the movie-musical!

"We hear Chu has been “dreaming” about Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for years, and he is now set to direct for Amazon Studios."

Daniel Goldfarb is writing the script, and Scott Sanders will produce.

https://deadline.com/2023/04/amazon-jon-m-chu-tim-rice-andrew-lloyd-webber-joseph-and-the-amazing-technicolor-dreamcoat-1235322737/

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 10:52am

Who should play Joseph?

I want Beyonce as the Narrator (unlikely to happen).

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 11:00am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Who should play Joseph?"

My movie groupchat says Tom Holland.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 11:00am

Josh Groban

[BwayLB]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 11:00am

I didn’t expect it since I’m seeing a production in June at La Mirada. But Jon M Chu directing already seals the deal for me. A pleasant surprise indeed

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 11:06am

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "Josh Groban"

I know Donny Osmond was also in his 40s, but think they'll need someone in their 20s here.

Will also be interesting if they go culturally-specific (middle-eastern/jewish) for all the "historic" characters, or cast it blindly. the optics around casting could create some internet yelling.

[Chase Miller]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 11:06am

It's such a thin and fluff story. Doesn't really lend itself to a major motion picture.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 11:07am

David Archuleta. Harry Styles. Who knows who they'll pull. haha.

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 11:11am

Chase Miller said: "It's such a thin and fluff story. Doesn't really lend itself to a major motion picture."

Well, musicals made for streamers aren't always"major" compared to major studio releases. Amazon's adaptation of Everybody's Talking About Jamie and Netflix's Matilda: the Musical were well-received critically and by the people who saw them but didn't exactly light up the world culture-wise.

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 11:14am

Gaga for the narrator. I’ve wanted this forever.

seems like a weird choice of inspiration for a movie tho…

[Ensemble1680343767]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 11:17am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Who should play Joseph?"

I loved Noah Galvin in the concert version a few years ago!

 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 11:25am

Since Amazon is producing this, I’d imagine they’ll go “big” with casting - they can afford it. 

[babyjunegem]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 11:27am

I have many reservations about this. In the Heights felt so disconnected and devoid of human emotion. Felt like it would never end. We'll see if Wicked turns out alright, but still.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 11:27am

I bet it will be someone young and angelic looking.  Be interesting to see if the casting is politically correct.  It is popcorn, so it may not be.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 11:28am

bwayobsessed said: "Gaga for the narrator. I’ve wanted this forever.

seems like a weird choice of inspiration for a movie tho…"

Let's save her for a bigger movie musical!

[BwayLB]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 11:29am

I plan to be surprised who they cast.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 11:36am

The musical is just barely over an hour, with no spoken dialogue. The 90's revival had to repeat two songs in full, a sung entr'acte of half the songs in act 1, and add a ten-minute megamix to get the running time to get over the two hour mark. I can't imagine what he'll do to bloat the time for it to even reach a 90-minute film. I have a feeling his Wicked will be a snoozefest...but at least the source novel has more to work with. 

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 12:10pm

Okay, I'll bite: why?

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 1:24pm

He doesn't even know if Wicked will be a hit and already planning the next movie-that is confidence. Goodness. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 1:35pm

hearthemsing22 said: "He doesn't even know if Wicked will be a hit and already planning the next movie-that is confidence. Goodness."

That's how this stuff works. WICKED was announced before HEIGHTS opened in theaters. He's also been announced to direct an animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss' Oh, The Places You'll Go! for Warner Bros and J.J. Abrahms, and producing (+ possibly directing) a PLAY-DOH movie for eOne and Hasbro. And for a while had previously been developing the live-action LILO AND STITCH movie for Disney, but now that will be directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp (of Marcel the Shell).

And Deadline indicates JOSEPH is a show he's been passionate about for a while.

[TalksAboutBruno]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 1:39pm

We are never gonna get a Crazy Rich Asians 2

[BwayLB]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 1:43pm

^ Maybe we will maybe we won’t. We can always get a new director and Chu can produce it

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 2:14pm

To be fair, Stephen Daldry was the attached director to Wicked for the longest time - it was only after production of In the Heights was complete that Chu was hired to direct Wicked.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 2:49pm

KevinKlawitter said: "To be fair,Stephen Daldry was the attached director toWickedfor the longest time - it was only after production ofIn the Heightswas complete that Chu was hired to directWicked."

Correct. Universal finally wanted to make Wicked a priority, and it was no longer a priority for Daldry. Chu was a new flavor of the moment and had just got another long-gestating film made (Heights), which Universal & Marc Platt saw an early cut of.

[Fan123]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 5:50pm

TalksAboutBruno said: "We are never gonna get a Crazy Rich Asians 2 "

I've been hoping for that Crazy Rich Asians Broadway musical idea that Chu mentioned in passing in an interview once  But, good for him if he wants this Joseph project.

While I know Joseph has been successfully filmed on a soundstage before, I think the show benefits from its 'staginess' more than most. Trying to imagine a more cinematic adaptation... hmm. I can see it turning out feeling a bit like a TV sketch show or a Monty Python movie or something, for better or worse. But as always, those in charge of this are likely going to have more creative adaptation ideas up their sleeve than I do.

Updated On: 4/12/23 at 05:50 PM