Posted: 12/12/22 at 10:05am
Shawn Levy: So we started developing a Broadway musical, which I have co-written the script for, and Alan Menken has written all of the songs. So we're exploring and developing the stage musical version with Alan Menken. And the other thing was this animated movie because I thought, this is a way to go to another chapter without dealing with recasting Ben Stiller and all these other characters and actors who are still very much vibrant and in the culture. And it also gave me the potential to do some things visually that we could never afford to do in the movies.
The thing about Broadway development is it makes movie development look lightning quick. It's super frustrating. But we have had our first workshop. We have the script, we have the songs. And as you've probably heard, COVID had a devastating impact in every form of exhibition. But it really took its toll on Broadway and on the theaters in New York. And as you can imagine, Night at the Museum is not the kind of small show that you can try out in a small town in Connecticut. It's a big installation piece of musical theater. So it is not five to 10 years away, but it's not a year away either. I'd say it's somewhere in between. But we're feeling really bullish about it because our workshop was really successful, and I think the material is feeling really good to the powers that be. So it becomes a matter of waiting for theater availability
