Elton John, Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber Team for JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT Animated Film Featuring New Music

Comingsoon.net reports that Elton John, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice will join forces on an animated big screen adaptation of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. The news was announced today by Adam Fogelson, chairman of STX's Motion Picture Group, who took the stage at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. The project is slated for the STX Family banner.

Elton John's Rocket Pictures is producing the film in association with Really Useful Group. The film is expected to feature new songs written by Lloyd Webber and Rice.

"Originally written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice as a pop cantata for students in London in 1968, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was expanded into a concept album and subsequently a globally successful theatrical stage phenomenon," said David Kosse, President of STX international, who was involved in formulating the deal for STX. "Joseph has become one of the most enduring, irresistible and beloved family musicals of all time. We could not be more honored or excited to be partnering with Andrew, Tim and Elton, legends of music, stage and screen on this animated telling of this timeless story."

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. The musical opened on Broadway at the Royale Theatre in January 1982 and ran through September 1983, with 747 performances. Directed and choreographed by Tony Tanner, the off-Broadway cast reprised their roles, with Bill Hutton as Joseph, Laurie Beechman as the Narrator, and Tom Carder as Pharaoh. The production was recorded for release on the Chrysalis label, and is the first to feature the Prologue (dubbed on the Chrysalis release "You are what you feel"). The show received several Tony Award nominations including Best Musical and Best Original Score. Allen Fawcett replaced Hutton as Joseph in late June 1982. David Cassidy took over the role of Joseph in March 1983 and performed in the touring cast in 1983/1984

The musical opened in Toronto at the Elgin Theatre in July 1992, with Donny Osmond as Joseph and Janet Metz as the Narrator. The show was revived in the United States in 1993, playing in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre for 18 weeks and in San Francisco at the Golden Gate Theatre for an 8-week run before moving to Broadway, playing at the Minskoff Theatre from November 1993 to May 1994 for 231 performances. Directed by Steven Pimlott and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast, the cast featured Michael Damian (Joseph), Kelli Rabke (Narrator), Clifford David (Jacob), and Robert Torti (Pharaoh). In 1999, a straight-to-video film starring Donny Osmond was released, directed by David Mallet. Osmond had toured North America in the role after opening the Toronto revival in 1992. In the film, Maria Friedman appears as the Narrator, Richard Attenborough as Jacob, Ian McNeice as Potiphar, Joan Collins as Mrs. Potiphar and Robert Torti as Pharaoh.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos