Thomas Kail and Ice Cube Team Up for Disney OLIVER TWIST Film Remake

The Hollywood Reporter has reported that the Tony Award-winning director of "Hamilton", Thomas Kail, and rap superstar, Ice Cube are teaming up with Disney for a modern musical remake on Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist

Wicked producer, Mark Platt, and The Firm's Jeff Kwatinetz will joining Ice Cube, who will be working under his CubeVision banner, on the producing end.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, follows a boy who runs away from an orphanage and joins a group of pickpockets. The popular story has already been adapted by Disney as a 1980's animated feature Oliver and Company and has enjoyed a long life on the musical stage in Lionel Bart's OLIVER!.

The report describes the upcoming project as a "modern musical with sources describing it as crossing many genres, including hip-hop." Cube and Kwatinetz are writing the treatment for the story. Cube is also attached to play pied piper pickpocket leader, Fagin.

Thomas Kail's credits include; Broadway: In the Heights (Tony nom.), Lombardi, Magic/Bird. Off-Broadway: Hamilton (the Public; Drama Desk, Lortel and Obie Awards), In the Heights (Callaway Award, Drama Desk/OCC noms), Randy Newman's Faust and The Wiz (City Center), Broke-ology and When I Come to Die (LCT), Family Furniture (The Flea, Drama Desk nom), The Tutors (2ST Uptown). Other credits: Broke-ology (Williamstown), Once on This Island (Paper Mill) and In the Heights (national tour). He is the Co-creator/director of hip-hop improv group Freestyle Love Supreme. He has a Martin E. Segal Award from Lincoln Center and is a graduate of Wesleyan University.