Musical Version of Ghost by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard Headed for London
A musical version of the popular 1990 movie Ghost is scheduled for a West End bow in 2010. The show will feature music and lyrics by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics fame and Glen Ballard. Bruce Joel Rubin is adapting his Oscar-winning screenplay for the stage as well as writing lyrics. Matthew Warchus is set to direct.
Ghost is a fantasy about the power of love. Walking back to their apartment one night, Sam and Molly are mugged, leaving Sam murdered on a dark street. Sam is trapped as a ghost between this world and the next and unable to leave Molly who he learns is in grave danger. With the help of a phony storefront psychic, Oda Mae Brown, Sam tries to communicate with Molly in the hope of saving and protecting her.
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film in 1990, Ghost starred Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg who won an Oscar for her performance and was directed by Jerry Zucker. The film's iconic love scene at a potter's wheel was famously performed to the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody."
“Writing the movie Ghost has been, from conception to winning the Oscar, the most joyful experience of my film career,” Rubin said in a statement. “The opportunity to give it new life as a musical, to see Molly and Sam come alive again, to see their souls soar with song, is proving to be one of the great experiences of my life.”
In addition to Ghost, Rubin has written numerous other screenplays, including Jacob’s Ladder, Deep Impact, Stuart Little 2, The Last Mimzy and, the soon to be released, The Time Traveller’s Wife. He also wrote and directed My Life.
Stewart is best known for performing alongside Annie Lennox as the Eurthymics. He has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Brit Awards and the Legend of Songwriting Award for City of Hope for his work on such songs as "Here Comes the Rain Again," "Who's That Girl," "Would I Lie to You," "Sisters Doing It for Themselves" and "Sweet Dreams Are Made of These." He recently released Dave Stewart Songbook, Vol. 1, which includes his hits with Tom Petty “Don’t Come Around Here No More”, No Doubt “Underneath It All”, Celine Dion “Taking Chances” and Mick Jagger “Old Habits Die Hard”, which was in the movie Alfie and won a Golden Globe for Best Song.
Ballard is a six-time Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter. He has sold more than 150 million records worldwide and has worked with a diverse array of artists, including Aretha Franklin, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Michael Jackson and Broadway's own Idina Menzel. One of Ballard’s biggest successes involved the multi-platinum album Jagged Little Pill which sold 33 million copies worldwide and won four Grammys—including Album of the Year, which Ballard co-wrote and produced for Alanis Morissette, and was named Best Album of the Decade 1990s by Billboard. Ballard has most recently worked on songs for films, including the Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated “Believe” for Polar Express, “Ordinary Miracle” for Charlotte’s Web and “A Hero Comes Home” for Beowulf.
The sets and costumes for Ghost will be designed by Rob Howell. Musical supervisors are Christopher Nightingale and Tesse Gohl. Ghost is produced by David Garfinkle of New York’s Hello Entertainment and London producer Colin Ingram in association with Paramount Pictures. Dates and casting information for the musical have not yet been announced.