Breaking News: Deal in Place for Movie Adaption of Tony-Winning MEMPHIS

Deadline.com reports that a deal is now in place for Belle Pictures and the Mark Gordon Company to head a film adaption of Memphis at Warner Brother's Aclon Entertainment. 

The film will be produced by Mark Gordon, Molly Smith and Alcon's Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson with a new script by Tony-winner Joe DiPietro. 

MEMPHIS played its final performance on Broadway on Sunday, August 5, 2012 after 30 previews and 1,166 regular performances. MEMPHIS opened on October 19, 2009 at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre, having begun previews on September 23, 2009.

MEMPHIS launched its successful multi-city U. S. national tour in Memphis, TN, which opened to critical acclaim on October 16, 2011 at the historic Orpheum Theatre. Critically acclaimed MEMPHIS won four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score (David Bryan and Joe DiPietro), Best Book (Joe DiPietro), and Best Orchestrations (David Bryan and Daryl Waters). MEMPHIS won four Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Performance by an Actress (Montego Glover), Outstanding Music (David Bryan) and Outstanding Orchestration (David Bryan and Daryl Waters). MEMPHIS has also won four Outer Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Score (David Bryan & Joe DiPietro), Outstanding Actress (Montego Glover) and Outstanding Choreography (Sergio Trujillo).

MEMPHIS takes place in the smoky halls and underground clubs of the segregated 50’s, where a young white DJ named Huey Calhoun fell in love with everything he shouldn’t: rock and roll and an electrifying black singer. MEMPHIS is an original story about the cultural revolution that erupted when his vision met her voice, and the music changed forever.

The show features a brand new, Tony winning score with music by Bon Jovi’s founding member and keyboardist David Bryan and lyrics by Bryan and Tony-winner Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change), who also pens the musical’s book. Bryan and DiPietro also collaborated on the award-winning off-Broadway hit, The Toxic Avenger. MEMPHIS is based on a concept by the late George W. George (producer of the Tony nominated Bedroom Farce and the film My Dinner With Andre), with direction by Tony nominee Christopher Ashley (Xanadu) and choreography by Sergio Trujillo, (Jersey Boys, Next to Normal).

The closing cast of MEMPHIS on Broadway feautred Tony Nominee Adam Pascal (Huey) and Tony Nominee Montego Glover (Felicia) with Derrick Baskin (Gator), J. Bernard Calloway (Delray), James Monroe Iglehart (Bobby), John Jellison (Mr. Simmons), and Nancy Opel (Mama). The company also features Darius Barnes, Carmen Shavone Borders, Angela C. Brydon, Sam J. Cahn , Erica Dorfler, Preston W. Dugger III, Sasha Hutchings, Lauren Lim Jackson, Tyrone Jackson, Elizabeth Ward Land, Bryan Langlitz, Kevin Massey , Candice Monet McCall, David McDonald, Monette McKay, Andy Mills, Justin Patterson, Jermaine R. Rembert, Ken Robinson, Jamison Scott, Antoine L. Smith, Betsy Struxness, Cody Williams, and Dan’yelle Williamson.

MEMPHIS played a limited, sold-out engagement at La Jolla Playhouse from August 19 – September 28, 2008 and received San Diego’s Craig Noel Awards for Excellence in Theatre for both Outstanding New Musical of 2008 and for its star Chad Kimball, in the role of DJ Huey Calhoun. The show then played another critically-acclaimed, extremely successful engagement at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre from January 27 – February 15, 2009. This production was co-produced by La Jolla Playhouse (Christopher Ashley, Artistic Director) and 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle, WA, (David Armstrong, Producing Artistic Director/ Marilynn Sheldon, Managing Director). The world premiere of MEMPHIS in 2003-2004 was co-produced by North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, MA and TheatreWorks in Silicon Valley, CA.

Blu-ray™, DVD and digital downloads of the HD film of MEMPHIS were released on January 24, 2012 by Shout! Factory, in association with Broadway Worldwide. Featuring the original Broadway cast, MEMPHIS is the first Best Musical Tony Award winner to be filmed and distributed while running on Broadway. Special Features on the DVD will include “Behind The Scenes: How Memphis Was Captured.” The HD film is also currently available for instant streaming on Netflix. The Original Broadway Cast Recording of MEMPHIS, distributed by Rhino Records, is available for purchase at all retail outlets including www.rhino.com, as well as at the Shubert Theater. The collection contains 19 songs and a bonus track/acoustic version of “The Music of My Soul” with piano and vocals by Tony Award winning composer David Bryan.

Scenic Design for MEMPHIS is by Tony Award winner David Gallo (The Drowsy Chaperone, The Mountaintop), Costume Design is by Tony nominee Paul Tazewell (In The Heights), Lighting Design is by Tony Award winner Howell Binkley (How to Succeed…, Jersey Boys) and Sound Design is by Ken Travis (The Threepenny Opera).

MEMPHIS was produced on Broadway by Junkyard Dog Productions, Barbara and Buddy Freitag and Kenny and Marleen Alhadeff with Latitude Link, Jim and Susan Blair, Demos Bizar Entertainment, Land Line Productions, Apples and Oranges Productions, Dave Copley, Dancap Productions, Inc., Alex and Katya Lukianov, Tony Ponturo, 2 Guys Productions, and Richard Winkler in association with Lauren Doll, Eric and Marsi Gardiner, Linda and Bill Potter, Broadway Across America, Jocko Productions, Patty Baker, Dan Frishwasser, Bob Bartner/Scott and Kaylin Union, Loraine Boyle/Chase Mishkin, Remmel T. Dickinson/Memphis Orpheum Group and ShadowCatcher Entertainment/Vijay and Sita Vashee.