Director Ryan Coogler will be producing a new jukebox musical feature about the late icon Prince, according to new reports.
Announced by Deadline, the Black Panther director will produce the untitled movie alongside his wife, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Troy Carter and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, Jody Gerson. Rebecca Cho will also reportedly executive produce.
Meanwhile, writer Bryan Edward Hill, whose work includes the comic book Ultimate Black Panther, has already written the draft of the script.
The producers will join the project alongside Universal as part of Proximity Media, created by the Cooglers and Ohanian; the multi-media company’s mission is to spotlight stories that are often overlooked.
Also co-founded by Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson, Archie Davis and Peter Nicks, previous films released by Proximity include Space Jam: A New Legacy and Judas and the Black Messiah.
“It is such an honor to be working alongside my partners and friends to launch Proximity,” said Zinzi Coogler in a statement when the company was first launched. “We’re looking forward to telling meaningful stories that we hope will resonate with audiences across all ages and backgrounds.”
Ryan Coogler to produce a jukebox musical featuring Prince’s music for Universal.
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) March 23, 2024
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The announcement that Coogler will be joining the untitled Prince movie comes amidst the 40th year anniversary of the icon’s record-breaking Purple Rain album.
Released on June 25, 1984, the album was released as the accompaniment to the movie of the same name. Considered one of the best-selling albums of all time, it was the artist’s first album to earn the number-one spot on the Billboard 200. Overall, it spent 24 back-to-back weeks at the top of the charts and had a spot on the list for a total of 167 weeks.
Spawning hits like “When Doves Cry,” “Purple Rain,” “I Would Die 4 U” and “Let’s Go Crazy,” the album won Prince and the Revolution two Grammy Awards and one Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.
In 1996, the album became certified 13x Platinum, and in 2019, the Library of Congress chose it for preservation because it was “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”
Next year, a musical based on the album and film is set to debut. After premiering in his hometown in Minneapolis, the musical will move to Broadway.
“Prince talked about adapting Purple Rain for the stage for years. It’s only fitting that we launch this world premiere musical version in the city where it all began, Prince’s hometown, Minneapolis,” said former Prince manager L Londell McMillan and CEO of Primary Wave Larry Mestel per a statement. “We’re very excited for the creative team to be inspired by the Minneapolis sound and the unparalleled and unique spirit of the city that Prince inspired.”
