Musicals drift in and out of popularity for studios, but it’s not often that you see one – and definitely nothing that isn’t based on any existing show or concept – cause a feeding frenzy in Hollywood. But that’s exactly what has happened with a new, untitled tune-filled idea from Josh Gad and Jeremy Garelick, with Universal slapping down millions to buy the rights.
Gad and Garelick – who worked together on this year’s The Wedding Ringer – have cooked up the idea for the story of a family with a busy single mother that hires a home help (Gad) who ends up becoming an important part of their dynamic. It doesn’t sound like something executives would naturally scramble for, so there must be a truly compelling story there, plus the potential for some toe-tapping tunes. Especially since New Line, Fox, Disney and Paramount were also all in the running, competing for the rights like contestants on a reality show.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the last time Gad was part of a musical, the result was Frozen, but it’s not like he was at the core of that one. Here, he’s starring, with Garelick as writer and director. But there is one tiny other factor in its favour: composers Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz will provide the tunes. They worked together on Disney films such as Pocahontas (winning an Oscar for their music), Enchanted and The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. Menken has eight Academy Awards sitting at home and has provided an updated score for the new live-action Beauty And The Beast, which also features Gad.
And Schwartz? He also wrote the music for a little musical called Wicked, which Universal originated as a movie but turned into a stage show first, one that is now headed back into film development.