Black Orpheus Musical Hoping to Bring the Beats of Brazil to Broadway

A new Broadway musical based on the 1959 film Black Orpheus is hoping to come to Broadway during the 2013-14 season, according to the New York Times. The film won the 1960 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (the same year Ben-Hur won Best Picture and Porgy and Bess took home Best Musical Score).

Set in a slum in Rio de Janeiro, Black Orpheus is a modern retelling of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. According to the original myth, Orpheus travels down to the underworld to confront Hades after his lover Eurydice tragically dies.

Although no details have been solidified yet, producer Stephen C. Byrd, who mounted the Broadway revival of A Streetcar Named Desire earlier this year, is hoping to attract directors like Bill T. Jones (Spring Awakening, Fela!), Julie Taymor (Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark) and Rob Ashford (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) to the project.

Check out the original trailer for Black Orpheus below. Do you think the film would make a good stage musical? Let us know in the comments!