MGM has hired director Thomas Kail to adapt the classic Broadway musical Fiddler On The Roof for the big screen. Kail directed the fabulous limited series Fosse/Verdon for FX, and is at the helm of Hamilton, which is set to hit Disney+ on July 3rd. He is also directing the big screen adaptation of Oliver Twist that is currently in development, so Kail is no stranger to musicals or bringing them to film. MGM was the studio that first adapted the musical to film almost 50 years ago, so this will be a welcome update.
Kail will produce with Dan Jinks and Aaron Harnick. Steven Levenson will write the script, which will be based on the 1964 Broadway musical, which had music written by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein.
The story focuses on a Russian Jewish family whose traditional father is hoping for his daughters to marry perfectly selected matches and continue the faith and traditions of their ancestors, while his strong-willed daughters are looking to marry for love and live their lives a little differently from what he had planned.
Kail says of the gig:
“It has been a life-long dream of mine to direct Fiddler, though I always imagined I would do it on stage. I am over-joyed to have the opportunity to make a new film version of my favorite show with Mike DeLuca at MGM, where so many transcendent musical movies have been made. I’m proud to partner with Dan Jinks, Aaron Harnick and my great pal, Steven Levenson, to honor this work that has profoundly inspired me and millions of others.”
This is a great match up, and will be exciting to see on the big screen. Are you a fan of Fiddler on the Roof?
via: Deadline