Last Updated on August 2, 2021
Alright, you lot, get out your porridge bowls and wooden spoons and follow me! What? You don’t have any? I sent an email out weeks ago! Jesus…well you guys are gonna feel right foolish for not being prepared because news is the classic Charles Dickens story, OLIVER TWIST, will be getting the modern-update-treatment, courtesy of the man you most expect: Ice Cube.
Yes, according to a report from THR the rapper/actor will be working with Disney on a new musical version of the tale, which will have the director of the hit musical HAMILTON, Thomas Kail, at the helm.
The timeless tale of a young orphan boy who goes from being a child laborer to being part of a gang of scruffy pickpockets has been adapted countless times over the decades, including a hit stage musical, OLIVER!, which was turned into a 1968 movie that won five Oscars including Best Picture.
This new musical will have a modern style, and will feature a combination of many different musical genres, including hip-hop, which I’ve been told Mr. Cube has dabbled in. Cube will also be working on the script with producer Jeff Kwatinetz, and will also be pulling acting duty by playing Fagin, the leader of the group of young ruffians.
Other than Disney’s animated hits like TANGLED, FROZEN and (most likely) this November’s MOANA, the musical genre isn’t as popular as it used to be. We maybe get one or two a year, and they can easily fly under the radar, especially if they're live-action. But Cube has had growing success in the movie world recently, with the 21 JUMP STREET movies raking in the dough, and STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON being one of last year’s biggest surprises. Plus with the involvement of Thomas Kail—whose work on HAMILTON has been the toast of Broadway—there’s potential here for a great modern iteration of the classic tale. You could say you'll be asking for, *ahem*, mooooore! Thank you, thank you.
In the meantime be sure to catch Ice Cube with Charlie Day in FIST FIGHT on February 17, 2017.
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