Beehive restyled
New Line gives 'Hairspray' another spritz
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New Line Cinema will produce a feature remake of "Hairspray," thus completing a 16-year full-circle journey from modestly budgeted John Waters cult movie to Tony-winning smash Broadway tuner and now back to bigscreen musical.
New Line co-chairmen and co-CEOs Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne confirmed that the new film will be a priority development project aiming for a 2006 release.
The deal began coming together late last year. At the time, Revolution Studios was also hotly pursuing the project. However, New Line's underlying rights to the 1988 feature included a mechanism that gave the shingle rights to the last negotiation. This essentially threw the deal for Revolution and New Line never considered partnering with the studio on the project.
"This whole idea of musical adaptations of films from within our library was about creating additional value for our films, and 'Hairspray' was the first of those projects to come together," Lynne told Daily Variety. "This new version adds another generation of value. The continuum is very exciting."
"I couldn't think of a better way to continue the life of this fantastic musical," Shaye added. "In each form it takes, 'Hairspray' is an expression of the power and universality of John's original vision."
Set in Waters' beloved native Baltimore during the 1960s dance TV craze, "Hairspray" centers on zaftig high school hairhopper Tracy Turnblad as she graduates from outsider to celebrity trendsetter. Along the way she stars on "The Corny Collins Show," wins the heart of resident hunk Link Larkin and kicks down the barriers for black and white integration on local television.
"Hairspray" bowed on Broadway in August 2002, produced by Margo Lion and starring Harvey Fierstein and Marisa Jaret Winokur. It won nine Tony Awards last year, including best musical, actor (Fierstein), actress (Winokur), directing, book and score.
Boffo bouffant
Based on Waters' original script for the 1988 movie, the play's book was written by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, with musical score and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The show has played 644 perfs on Broadway and has grossed over $76 million to date. It was capitalized at $10.5 million, recouping its investment in about eight months.
O'Donnell and Meehan will adapt their existing book for the screen. In addition to composing the score for the film, Shaiman will produce the songs and serve as music supervisor. Both Shaiman and Wittman also will serve as the film's exec producers. New Line president of production Toby Emmerich and senior VP of production Mark Kaufman will oversee the project for the studio.
Oscar-nominated composer Shaiman said the hope was "to retain John Waters' flavor and yet appeal to all the people it's appealing to on Broadway. The irony is that out of John Waters' sick, twisted heart came something that four generations enjoy on Broadway. Our goal is to make the best newfangled/old-fashioned film musical ever."
Next step will be to attach a director. While discussions have not yet taken place regarding Fierstein or Winokur being recast in the roles they created on stage, Lynne says this is not out of the question.
Still Waters
Given Waters' ownership of the original film, the director served as a consultant on the Broadway incarnation and is expected to be involved in a similar role on the musical feature.
Project is the second recent vehicle to follow a screen-to-stage-to-screen arc, but the first to be shepherded through each step under the umbrella of a single studio.
Mel Brooks' "The Producers" began life as a 1968 MGM release, was adapted into a hit Broadway show and is now being retooled by Brooks and stage director Susan Stroman at Universal as a feature musical. Original legit stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick will reprise their roles in the new version, joined by Nicole Kidman.
A departure into more mainstream territory for iconoclastic bad taste purveyor Waters, the original "Hairspray" starred Ricki Lake in her pre-talkshow days, the director's long-term muse Divine, Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Debbie Harry, Jerry Stiller, Colleen Fitzpatrick and Michael St. Gerard. DVD sales of that pic have been significantly bolstered by the success of the Broadway show.
"Just as we didn't anticipate how far 'Lord of the Rings' would go, I don't think any of us guessed how much life 'Hairspray' would have," said Lynne. "It really has become a part of the culture now."
"The relationship between John and Bob Shaye and myself goes back dramatically," he added. "We've probably been involved with more of his films than any company and over a longer period of time."
New Line Cinema and its specialty subsid Fine Line have distributed the majority of Waters' films, starting with trash classic "Pink Flamingos," the director's first theatrical release, and continuing with "Female Trouble," "Desperate Living," "Polyester," "Hairspray" and "Pecker."
The studio has Waters' "A Dirty Shame" in post-production. Despite previous indications that a Cannes slot was being sought to premiere the comedy, New Line confirmed it will not be ready in time to bow at the May event.
(Robert Hofler in New York and Dana Harris in Hollywood contributed to this report.)
