Lady Luck may finally be on our side. After years of behind-the-scenes gestation, it seems that an updated movie musical of Frank Loesser's Guys and Dolls may finally be happening.
As reported by Deadline, TriStar Pictures has chosen Chicago's Oscar-winning director, Rob Marshall, to direct a new film adaptation of the classic musical. Marshall and John DeLuca are set to team with screenwriters John Requa and Glenn Ficarra to update the material for the new film.
Based on the story and characters of Damon Runyon, Guys and Dolls has music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. The original Broadway production opened at the 46th Street Theatre in November 1950, running 1,200 performances before closing November 28, 1953. Among the premiere cast were Robert Alda as Sky Masterson, Isabel Bigley as Sarah Brown, Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit, and Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide. Blaine re-created her role for the 1955 film, which also starred Marlon Brando as Sky Masterson, Jean Simmons as Sarah Brown, and Frank Sinatra as Nathan Detroit.
This updated film has been in the works for many years, and has gone through numerous creative team permutations. At one point, Tom Rothman (the CEO of Sony Pictures) had to rescue the project from then-rights holder Harvey Weinstein, as Loesser’s widow Jo would not grant the necessary approvals until Weinstein had been removed from the project.
Information on casting, timelines, and further creative team support is forthcoming.
Produced by John Goldwyn, Marc Toberoff, and Marc Platt with Marshall and DeLuca, the development is being overseen for the studio by Nicole Brown and Shary Shirazi.
Marshall began his career as a performer on Broadway, debuting as
the replacement for Munkustrap in the original Broadway production of Cats. He performed in Zorba, The Rink, and the original The Mystery of Edwin Drood on Broadway before transitioning to the creative side; he made his Broadway choreographic debut as the movement consultant on Blithe Spirit and provided additional choreography for Kiss of the Spider Woman, starring Chita Rivera. After choreographing She Loves Me (1993), Damn Yankees (1994), Company (1995), Victor/Victoria (1995), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1996), he made his Broadway directorial debut co-directing the 1998 production of Cabaret and then directed and choreographed Little Me later that year. Then, Marshall moved his musical passion to the big screen with his 2002 Chicago. Since then Marshall has brought film adaptations of Nine and Into the Woods to cinemas around the world. Mary Poppins Returns marked his first original film musical.
