At a time where Cats may convince some audiences musicals and movies don't mix, it's worth noting the two mediums have had a relatively fantastic relationship over the years. There have been several musicals that have made for wonderful movies, and some fantastic movies that have been adapted into successful musicals. Just because Cats flopped doesn't mean the world should give up on adapting popular musicals!
This is especially considering that some of the best musicals out there still have yet to be adapted for film. While Cats may not have been a worthy choice, I can confidently say the ones found below are worth a look. The overall results of how he would perform would vary, but they are definitely worth of being brought to the big screen.
The Book Of Mormon
The Book Of Mormon is, without question, one of the most popular musicals of the past decade. In a world where Hamilton never existed, it may even be the most popular musical for people who only see a handful in their lifetime. A lot of that success is thanks in no small part to two of its creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who are also mastermind television's consistently irreverent animated comedy South Park.
The Book Of Mormon would be one of those movie adaptations where it feels like developing it would be rather straightforward. The backdrop of Uganda wouldn't be hard to pull off, and the story should flow much like a usual movie. Honestly, it's a bit surprising this film adaptation hasn't already been made, and it wouldn't be surprising to hear of one being in development before the end of this decade.
Starlight Express
There's a good number of people who went to Cats just to witness the sheer insanity of it all, and while the movie is struggling at the box office, perhaps there's a chance it'll recoup some money by being a cult classic. There is a niche for movies being so bad people watch them just to poke fun. Now that Cats is infamous once more in the mainstream, perhaps another Andrew Lloyd Weber musical, Starlight Express, could capitalize that and make some money at the box office.
Imagine Cats, but if everyone were a steam engine. Starlight Express is sort of like that, except it's framed as an underdog love story. I suppose modern CGI could make everyone an actual steam engine, though the traditional way to perform the musical is with actors on roller skates. If Hollywood was looking to replicate Cats, I would suggest the latter, though I'd have to say it may be just as big of a theatrical disaster in either case. I'm not saying this musical deserves a movie because it'd be commercially successful, I'm saying people might really get a kick out of seeing something try and out-crap Cats.
Dear Evan Hansen
Dear Evan Hansen follows a teenager tasked with writing letters to himself as a therapy project to cope with his social anxiety. The story quickly spirals out of control when a fellow students suicide is tied in with Evan's letters, and the teen's white lie about his relationship with the departed student leads to a lot of changes in his life.
With original Evan Hansen, Ben Platt, currently starring in Netflix's Ryan Murphy series The Politician, the streaming service should really look into Platt's interest of adapting the award-winning production into a movie. He's already done a couple musical numbers on The Politician, so maybe there's some interest on the side of Murphy for directing a project like this as well. Get some meetings going, Netflix, this could be a big get!
Miss Saigon
Widely regarded to be a classic, Miss Saigon tells the story of a romance that takes place during the Vietnam War. It's the second production from Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, the duo most famously known for their musical production Les Miserables. While not quite as popular, Miss Saigon is still in the top 10 alongside Les Miserables as one of the highest-grossing musical franchises of all time.
On a short-list of highly successful musicals that still haven't gotten a film adaptation (or wasn't a film first), Miss Saigon is one of the few left on the list. Though there are concerns about cultural sensitivity in regards to the subject material, many high-profile Hollywood directors have eyed their shot at being the person to finally bring this musical to theaters. Danny Boyle was one of the more recent names to be involved, though not much has been heard on his efforts to develop a movie in some time.
Assassins
Have you ever wondered what the people who killed or attempted to kill U.S. Presidents were all about? Assassins will give a fictionalized scenario in which some of these infamous individuals are all hanging out together, and educate the audience a bit on these people and their motives for trying to kill the most important men in United States history.
Assassins probably wouldn't work as a traditional story given how it's told on stage, but I think there's a market for telling it in a different way. Put a few well-known comedians in the roles of these criminals and give the whole thing a comedic Drunk History spin, and I think that's a Hollywood hit. It'd probably work better as a feature being released directly on streaming services like Amazon Prime, Hulu, or Netflix, but one I'd love to see brought to life nonetheless.
She Loves Me
Set in Budapest, two people cross paths completely oblivious to the fact they are their secret pen pals and in love. What follows is a story of these two and the people around them, and of course, the eventual reveal that they are the secret people they've been looking for. If this sounds like a touching love story, it is, but there are some other storylines that help spice things up!
She Loves Me has technically been adapted in Hollywood, though not in the strictest sense. The story was previously made into a very successful romance movie by the name of You Got Mail. That alone should justify this musical being made into a movie, or maybe even justify a musical version of You Got Mail? Either one of those sounds fantastic, so hopefully there's someone out there willing to bring one of these projects to consumers in the near future.
Related: Why Zac Efron Was High School Musical Co-Star Ashley Tisdale's Worst On-Screen Kiss
Do you have a suggestion for a musical that needs to be made into a movie? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest news happening in television and movies.
