Guillermo Del Toro’s got so many movies and TV projects in the works, by the time I finish writing this sentence he’ll probably have at least three more set up.
Well maybe he ran out of movie projects this week, because now comes word that we may be seeing a musical version of Pan’s Labyrinth on stage soon.
By the way, did we mention it’s also going to have the music of Paul Williams? Yes, the famed songwriter who co-wrote The Love Boat theme, songs for The Carpenters, and the famed song from The Muppet Movie, “The Rainbow Connection.” Actually, as Deadline informs us, Williams will be writing the lyrics, and Gustavo Santaola, who composed the scores for Brokeback Mountain and Babel, is composing the music.
Apparently, Del Toro’s had this project in the works for about four years. While you can imagine a Pan’s Labyrinth musical being ridiculous in the wrong hands, like something you’d see in a Mel Brooks movie, if you try to imagine this musical like what Julie Taymor’s done on Broadway with The Lion King, it could actually turn out pretty cool.
Similarly, while at first Paul Williams may not seem your first choice for a project like this, he also composed the music for the wonderful dark comedy Phantom of the Paradise, which was directed by Brian DePalma. The show is going to be produced by Robert Fox, who also put own the shows The Boy From Oz and Frost / Nixon.
So who knows? Maybe Del Toro will also end up pilling up a ton of musicals along with his numerous movies and TV shows he’s got in development. While Del Toro doesn’t immediately come to mind when you think of singing and dancing, maybe some day that will change.
