In this wonderful world of remakes and reboots, it’s great to see a classic film get a fresh take in a new medium. Thanks to the one & only Elton John,
The Devil Wears Prada is next on that list.The iconic fashion-forward film (adapted from the novel by Lauren Weisberger) responsible for all-time fave lines like, "Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking," will be remade into a musical,
reported the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday.Directed by Tony winner Anna D. Shapiro, produced by Kevin McCollum, and complete with a score by Sir Elton John, the adaptation will have its pre-Broadway debut in Chicago from July 14 until at least August 16, 2020. While official dates for the musical's Broadway run have yet to be announced, the show is expected to be part of its 2020-21 season.
The Devil Wears Prada follows the trend of other films-turned-musicals finding recent success, like
Mean Girls on Broadway and
Legally Blonde (
which ran a national tour earlier this year). The plan makes sense: attract fans of the cult classic, add the thrill of reliving their favourite film as a live production, snag the Broadway lovers, and boom -- box office success!Well, that’s surely the hope. But how will
The Devil Wears Prada fare?For those unacquainted with the film (or who haven't watched it on TV every weekend since 2006), Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway star as the cold magazine Editor-in-Chief Miranda Priestley and her eager new assistant Andy Sachs, respectively. While casting for the musical hasn’t been announced, it’s undeniable that these will be two of the biggest stage roles of the year. To quote the film itself, "I bet a million girls would kill for that job." So who has the chops to pull it offDance and acting legend Debbie Allen would make an incredible Miranda Priestley, and we could totally see Ariana Grande in the Andy Sachs role. Or, could you imagine the style factor if Jennifer Lopez played Miranda, and Zendaya played the caterpillar-to-butterfly Andy? The possibilities are endless!While we wait for the curtain to rise on
Devil Wears Prada, we can't help but wonder what other classic screen rom-coms would make great future musical adaptations. The 1999 ensemble film
The Best Man feels like an obvious choice -- or how about a sisterhood series like
Sex And The City getting the stage treatment?For now, we'll keep daydreaming ("By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know it thrills me"), and start saving our pennies for tickets -- and appropriate outfits, of course.
