Prince‘s 1984 film Purple Rain is being adapted for the stage.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the adaptation will be directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, produced by Orin Wolf and based on the original Purple Rain screenplay by by Albert Magnoli and William Blinn. The late artist’s score will be featured in the project along with a book from Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the Pulitzer-Prize finalist and playwright of Appropriate.
“It’s been almost 40 years since Prince’s legendary film, Purple Rain, took the world by storm and we can’t think of a more fitting tribute than to honor Prince and the Purple Rain legacy with this stage adaptation of the beloved story,” said L. Londell McMillan, chairman of The NorthStar Group, and Larry Mestel, founder and CEO of Primary Wave Music. “We are thrilled with our Broadway partners and creative team, who are bringing a theatricality to the film’s original fictional story. We can’t wait for a new generation to discover Purple Rain and for lovers of the original film and album to experience its power once again, this time live.”
Purple Rain starred Prince as The Kid, and followed him as a rising musician in Minneapolis while dealing with a volatile home life. It went on to gross $70 million USD worldwide and was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
