'Fighting With My Family' Robert Viglasky/©MGM/Courtesy Everett Collection Dwayne Johnson and Stephen Merchant‘s 2019 film Fighting With My Family is getting the musical treatment.
Merchant’s biopic is being developed for the stage by Tilted Musicals, in collaboration with Seven Bucks Productions (co-founded by Johnson and Dany Garcia), Merchant himself, Kevin Misher and Birmingham Hippodrome.
With the book and lyrics by Olivier Award-winning playwright Jon Brittain (Rotterdam, Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!), Fighting With My Family will feature a new soundtrack by singer-songwriter Miranda Cooper and Nick Coler.
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The movie, directed and written by the U.K. Office co-creator Merchant, premiered in January 2019 at Sundance. The movie follows the true story of WWE superstar Paige (real name Saraya Bevis), played in the film by Florence Pugh. Vince Vaughn depicted her WWE trainer, and The Smashing Machine star Johnson featured as himself, as well as a producer on the film opposite Garcia for Seven Bucks Productions.
Merchant confessed he always thought of the film as a musical. “A young woman from the ‘chorus line’ fighting to get her big break, surrounded by theatrical, larger-than-life characters and huge sweeping emotions,” he said. “I approached each wrestling match like it was a different dance number, building to a big show-stopping finale. Seeing the film reimagined for the stage feels like the natural next step.”
Johnson, who will next be seen in the live-action Moana and Jumanji 3, said Fighting With My Family feels “exceptionally well-suited for the stage.” He continued: “It’s packed with personal emotion expressed through the dynamic world of wrestling, which has always been about storytelling and connecting with a live audience. Working with Stephen Merchant on the film was a truly special experience, and his brilliant work deserves this new act. As it comes to life musically, I have no doubt it will be an absolute blast for theatergoers.”
It marks the first musical developed and produced by Tilted Musicals, a new production company run by Cooper and U.K. producer-director Sam Hodges.
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