Movies That Should Be Made Into Broadway Musicals
A list of movies that should be adapted for the Broadway stage. Each year, at least one or two popular Broadway shows are turned into films. 2012 alone saw the release of a film based on the stage show "Rock of Ages," along with plans to turn the "Wizard of Oz" prequel "Wicked" into a movie. But another trend has been also been kickstarted - adapting popular films into Broadway shows. Disney has been doing this for years with the successful runs of "The Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast" on stage, and other recent Broadway hits such as "The Producers," "Spamalot" (adapted from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"), "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" and "Shrek" have bolstered the idea that audiences want to see popular characters from other media turned into stage spectacles. ("The Producers" was even turned BACK into a new film after having tremendous success as a play.)
"Back to the Future" is the most recent iconic film to be discussed as a potential stage show. But what are some other movies that would work well presented live on a stage, with songs? Vote for the films you'd like to line up to see on the Great White Way, and if you have a brilliant idea for a new adaptation, suggest it at the bottom of the page and see what the rest of Ranker thinks of your pick! (For the flip side, vote on a list of Stage Musicals that Would Make Great Movies.)- Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy
- Released: 2010
- Directed by: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard
When the kingdom's most-wanted bandit, Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi), hides in a convenient tower, he immediately becomes a captive of Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), the spire's longtime resident. Crowned with ...more - Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin
- Released: 1987
- Directed by: Rob Reiner
A fairy tale adventure about a beautiful young woman and her one true love. He must find her after a long separation and save her. They must battle the evils of the mythical kingdom of Florin to be ...more - Tate Donovan, Josh Keaton, Roger Bart
- Released: 1997
- Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker
Disney tackles Greek mythology in this animated feature. Hercules (Tate Donovan), a son of gods, was snatched as a baby by Hades (James Woods) and forced to live among mortals as a half-man, ...more - Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden
- Released: 2007
- Directed by: Kevin Lima
Banished by an evil queen, Princess Giselle (Amy Adams) from a fairy-tale world lands in modern Manhattan, where music, magic and "happily ever after" are sorely lacking. She is adrift in this ...more - Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara
- Released: 1993
- Directed by: Henry Selick
The film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown's beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the "real world." When Jack ...more - Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Tony Jay
- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
An animated Disney adventure follows disfigured Quasimodo (Tom Hulce), the bell-ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral, who bides his time locked away in a tower. With only gargoyles to keep him company, ...more - Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum
- Released: 1971
- Directed by: Mel Stuart
The last of five coveted "golden tickets" falls into the hands of a sweet but very poor boy. He and his grandpa then get a tour of the strangest chocolate factory in the world. The owner leads five ...more - Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara
- Released: 1986
- Directed by: John Hughes
Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) has an uncanny skill at cutting classes and getting away with it. Intending to make one last duck-out before graduation, Ferris calls in sick, "borrows" a Ferrari, ...more - Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper
- Released: 2011
- Directed by: James Bobin
Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, is on vacation in Los Angeles with his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary's girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams). They discover that greedy Tex Richman (Chris Cooper)Â ...more - Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan
- Released: 1993
- Directed by: Chris Columbus
Troubled that he has little access to his children, divorced Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) hatches an elaborate plan. With help from his creative brother Frank (Harvey Fierstein), he dresses as an ...more - Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, Jerry Orbach
- Released: 1987
- Directed by: Emile Ardolino
Baby (Jennifer Grey) is one listless summer away from the Peace Corps. Hoping to enjoy her youth while it lasts, she's disappointed when her summer plans deposit her at a sleepy resort in the ...more - Eileen Brennan, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren
- Released: 1985
- Directed by: Jonathan Lynn
Based on the popular board game, this comedy begins at a dinner party hosted by Mr. Boddy, where he admits to blackmailing his visitors. These guests, who have been given aliases, are Mrs. Peacock, ...more - Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
- Released: 2018
- Directed by: Bryan Singer
Freddie Mercury -- the lead singer of Queen -- defies stereotypes and convention to become one of history's most beloved entertainers. The band's revolutionary sound and popular songs lead to Queen's ...more - Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, Louis Prima
- Released: 1967
- Directed by: Wolfgang Reitherman
In this classic Walt Disney animation based on Rudyard Kipling's book, Mowgli, an abandoned child raised by wolves, has his peaceful existence threatened by the return of the man-eating tiger Shere ...more - Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson
- Released: 1985
- Directed by: John Hughes
Lends itselfFive high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal (Paul Gleason). The disparate group includes rebel John (Judd Nelson), princess ...more - Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover
- Released: 1985
- Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
In this 1980s sci-fi classic, small-town California teen Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is thrown back into the '50s when an experiment by his eccentric scientist friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd)Â ...more - Michelle Pfeiffer, Christian Bale, Sophie Marceau
- Released: 1999
- Directed by: Michael Hoffman
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 1999 romantic comedy fantasy film based on the play A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. It was directed by Michael Hoffman. The ensemble cast features ...more - David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud
- Released: 1986
- Directed by: Jim Henson
Teenage Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) journeys through a maze to recover her baby brother (Toby Froud) from a goblin king (David Bowie). - Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane
- Released: 1997
- Directed by: James Cameron
James Cameron's "Titanic" is an epic, action-packed romance set against the ill-fated maiden voyage of the R.M.S. Titanic; the pride and joy of the White Star Line and, at the time, the largest ...more - Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden
- Released: 2019
- Directed by: Dexter Fletcher
Young Reginald Dwight changes his name to Elton John and collaborates with singer-songwriter Bernie Taupin to become one of the most iconic figures in pop history. Set to his most beloved songs, it's ...more - Daveigh Chase, Christopher Sanders, Tia Carrere
- Released: 2002
- Directed by: Dean DeBlois, Christopher Sanders
A tale of a young girl's close encounter with the galaxy's most wanted extraterrestrial. Lilo is a lonely Hawaiian girl who adopts a small ugly "dog," whom she names Stitch. Stitch would be the ...more - Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael Constantine
- Released: 2002
- Directed by: Joel Zwick
Everyone in the Portokalos family worries about Toula (Nia Vardalos). Still unmarried at 30 years old, she works at Dancing Zorba's, the Greek restaurant owned by her parents, Gus (Michael ...more - Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, Ann Reinking
- Released: 1979
- Directed by: Bob Fosse
When he is not planning for his upcoming stage musical or working on his Hollywood film, choreographer/director Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider) is popping pills and sleeping with a seemingly endless line ...more - 24Whitney Houston, Whoopi Goldberg, Bernadette Peters
- Released: 1997
- Directed by: Robert Iscove
Cinderella is a 1997 American romantic musical fantasy telefilm produced by Walt Disney Television. The film stars Brandy, Whitney Houston, Paolo Montalban, Bernadette Peters, Whoopi Goldberg, Victor ...more - Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Cloris Leachman
- Released: 1974
- Directed by: Mel Brooks
Respected medical lecturer Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) learns that he has inherited his infamous grandfather's estate in Transylvania. Arriving at the castle, Dr. Frankenstein soon ...more