“Frozen” Songwriters Join “Princess Bride” Stage Musical But Disney No Longer Involved
The long-in-development project also has a new producer and director attached.
Acclaimed Frozen songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez have joined the stage musical version of the beloved The Princess Bride, though it seems Disney Theatrical Productions departed the long-in-development project somewhere along the way.
- Deadline is reporting that married couple Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez are among several additions to The Princess Bride, including director Alex Timbers (Beetlejuice, Moulin Rouge!) and producer Jeffrey Seller (Hamilton).
- Though there have been attempts going back further, this particular version of The Princess Bride has been in development since 2019. Back then, Disney Theatrical Productions was producing Princess Bride, teaming with composer David Yazbek (Dead Outlaw). Deadline mentions that it’s not exactly clear when or why Disney Theatrical Productions and Yazbek left the project, noting that Disney Theatrical declined comment.
- Among those who’ve stayed with the project since 2019 are Bob Martin and Rick Elice, who are writing the book, and music supervisor Tom Kitt.
- Lopez and Anderson-Lopez are among the rarified talent who are EGOT winners, having taken home an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. Besides Frozen, their work as songwriters includes Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon and WandaVision.
- Deadline notes the earliest attempts to adapt The Princess Bride for the stage go at least as far back as 2006, when William Goldman – the author of the original book that first introduced the story and then also the screenwriter of the film adaptation – who has since passed away, was developing it with composer Adam Guettel (Floyd Collins).
As You Wish!
- Interestingly, Disney Theatrical Productions first became attached to The Princess Bride as a stage musical in 2013, several years before Disney would acquire 20th Century Fox, who released the 1987 Rob Reiner-directed movie.
- One would assume that Disney now owning the re-named 20th Century Studios would give them even more incentive to be involved in the stage production, making it all the curiouser that they ended up parting ways with the show.
- A 2019 Variety article mentioning the possibility of a Princess Bride movie remake received tremendous pushback from both fans and cast members of the original. A stage musical on the other hand feels like a pretty good fit. Even in an era where all sorts of movies are being turned into musicals, Princess Bride seems like one that naturally lends itself to the medium thanks to its characters and setting. After all, it’s pretty easy to imagine Inigo Montoya full on singing “You killed my father. Prepare… to…. DIEEEEEEEEE!!!!"
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