WICKED Film Director Jon M. Chu Will Direct New Film Version of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT
From the green gal to the technicolor dreamcoat, Jon M. Chu is quickly becoming the most sought after director for stage to screen adaptations! According to Deadline, Wicked filmmaker Jon M. Chu will direct a new film version of the famed Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for Amazon Studios.
Chu will reunite with his In The Heights producing partner Scott Sanders to develop and shoot the musical treatment of the Old Testament tale of Joseph, who is driven from his home by his 11 jealous brothers.
Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group has long wanted to develop the show into a Hollywood spectacular and had been seeking partners to achieve that aim.
The director is currently in the UK filming Wicked for Universal Pictures and Marc Platt Productions with a cast that includes Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, and Jeff Goldblum. He’s also known for directing 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will feature a screenplay by Daniel Goldfarb.
Rice and Lloyd Webber came up with the idea for Joseph in 1968 after being asked by a London school to create a short show for children. The pair went to the Bible’s Book of Genesis for inspiration and wrote a giddy array of numbers infused with a variety of melodies from country and western to calypso to Elvis-inspired rock and roll.
Over the years the show has grown from a 25-minute cantata into a full-blown musical comedy that has played seasons in London’s West End and Broadway and tours regularly.
The show is often performed at schools the world over, and for many it’s a first introduction to the world of musical theater. The likes of Donny Osmond and Jason Donovan have had hits with the production’s song "Any Dream Will Do."
