A musical adaptation of Hidden Figures is in development at Disney. The House of Mouse has decided to translate the Oscar-nominated film into a stage production. Based on the real-life story, Hidden Figures follows three African-American women who were scientists at NASA and were largely responsible for successfully sending the first American into space. It depicts the scientists' adversity and success in their field despite the racism and sexism that they were forced to endure. Hidden Figures became one of the most profitable movies of the year, grossing $236 million on a $25 million budget. It was loved by critics and praised for shining a light on an often overlooked part of American history.
According to Deadline, Disney is looking to create a stage musical based on the 2017 movie. A Hidden Figures musical has supposedly been in development for years now, but has only recently been brought to light when it was mentioned in The New York Times. Disney plans on bringing in a team of black artists to work on the musical, with film scholar Elvis Mitchell signed on as a creative consultant.
Musicals have surged in popularity in the past few years. This is largely due to the success of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton, as it went from being a hit on Broadway to a cultural phenomenon. Popularity for the musical has re-surged due to the filmed stage production being released on Disney+ to much acclaim. It's likely that the success of Hamilton has led Disney to prioritize the making of a Hidden Figures musical.
Source: Deadline
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July 27, 2020 at 05:53AM
