Elton John Making 'Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat' Movie
Apparently not even Elton John is immune to the Bible-based movie trend sweeping Hollywood – but this being Elton John, he's not exactly going the "serious historical epic" route.
John's Rocket Pictures has picked up the rights to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's play Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with the intention of turning it into an animated musical feature. Get more details after the jump.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was originally conceived by Webber and Rice in the late '60s for performance in schools. Since its first stage production in 1970, it's become one of the most performed musicals in theater history. Thousands of schools put on the play each year, and it's been on Broadway and the West End. In 1999, Donny Osmond starred in a direct-to-video film based on the musical.
In December, Webber credited Tom Hooper's Les Misérables for reviving Hollywood's interest in musicals. He revealed at the time that a Cats movie was being developed at Universal, and said in a separate interview that a Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat film was "definitely happening."
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is one of several projects John's Rocket Pictures has in the works. The company is also producing the John biopic Rocketman, starring Tom Hardy, and is working on the Gnomeo & Juliet sequel Sherlock Gnomes and the animated feature Will Gallows and the Snake Bellied Troll.