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

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 said: "Who should play Joseph?"

My movie groupchat says Tom Holland.

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

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

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.

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Who should play Joseph?"

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

 

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.

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!

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. 

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

We are never gonna get a Crazy Rich Asians 2

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.

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