The Black Panther director is set to produce the untitled project of the late musical icon’s songs for Universal Pictures, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film, which has been in the works since 2018, has a script by Bryan Edward Hill, who has written for comic books including Kilmonger and Ultimate Black Panther.
Meantime Producer Orin Wolf confirmed the 1984 rock musical film is being adapted for the Broadway stage. The project will be helmed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, who recently directed the acclaimed show, The Skin of Our Teeth.
"It's been almost 40 years since Prince's legendary film, Purple Rain, took the world by storm and we can't think of a more fitting tribute than to honour Prince and the Purple Rain legacy with this stage adaptation of the beloved story," said L. Londell McMillan, chairman of The NorthStar Group, and Larry Mestel, founder and chief executive of Primary Wave Music, in a joint statement.
The musical will follow the story of an up-and-coming rock musician in the Minneapolis club scene. It is set to feature a number of iconic Prince tracks, including When Doves Cry, Lets Go Crazy, I Would Die 4 U, as well as the titular song, Purple Rain.
The music icon's film won an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score and made around $70 million at the box office when it was first released.
Prince, real name Prince Rogers Nelson, died of an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2016. He was 57.
Representatives of the rightsholders to his music have confirmed they are supportive of the production.
Since the Purple Rain reissue, the concert has undergone a complete digital restoration, with the original video source rescanned, restored, and color-corrected, and the original multitrack audio master reels remixed and remastered.
