An original Rocky poster (from movieposterdb.com)
Rocky turns 35 today and to celebrate the occasion, Sylvester Stallone is turning it into a musical!
A musical? Yes you read right. A singing Rocky sounds ridiculous at first, but when you think about it, it could work!
Rocky is not just a boxing movie, it’s a great film! Many people forget that Rocky actually won the Best Picture Oscar in 1976, and Sylvester Stallone was nominated for best screenplay.
Rocky is a film with great heart. Rocky is the ultimate underdog who refuses to give up not only in the ring, but also in life and love. The first verse of Eye of The Tiger sums the heart of Rocky up brilliantly:
“Risin’ up, back on the street
Did my time, took my chances
Went the distance now I’m back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive
So many times it happens too fast
You trade your passion for glory
Don’t lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive”
As well as the underdog story, Rocky is a great love story and according to The Hollywood Reporter, Sylvester Stallone has said that this is what the musical will focus on – the love between Rocky and Adrian. ”At the end of the day, Rocky is a love story and he could never have reached the final bell without Adrian. To see this story coming to life on a musical stage makes me proud. And it would make Rocky proud.”
Stallone is working on this musical with boxing brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko. Also coming on board (according to The Hollywood Reporter) is, “Broadway veteran Thomas Meehan (The Producers) to write the script. Ragtime’s Tony-award winning lyricist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty will re-team for the music, which will include songs from the Rocky films, among them “Eye of the Tiger,” “Gonna Fly Now” and “Take You Back.” Tony Award nominee Alex Timbers will direct.”
I am such a fan of the film and its stars (Stallone as Rocky and Talia Shire as Adrian) that I find it hard to see anyone else living up to the role. That said, with Stallone so involved in the musical I can’t see him miscasting the roles and releasing something that is not on par to the film.
Rocky: The Musical will have its world premiere in Hamburg, Germany, sometime in November 2012. Should this be successful, there are plans to translate it into English and tour it around the world.
Below is the Rocky trailer:
That’s Entertainment!
Sarina
