It has been nearly 40 years since Prince’s iconic film, Purple Rain, took the world by storm and it is reported that the movie and album are being turned into a Broadway-bound musical.
Producer Orin Wolf revealed on Monday that a new Broadway musical is set to be based on Prince’s renowned 1984 film.
The fictional tale of “an up-and-coming rock musician in the Minneapolis club scene, as he contends with a tumultuous home environment, a rival band, and a budding romance” is told in the show, which is based on an original screenplay by Albert Magnoli and William Blinn. The book for the show is written by two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Prince provided the music and lyrics.
Among other hits, his soundtrack from the movie inspired the singles When Doves Cry, Let’s Go Crazy, I Would Die 4 U, Take Me with U, and, of course, Purple Rain.
Over 25 million copies of the album were sold worldwide, and it topped the Billboard charts for 24 weeks. Prince also took home two Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for the record.
Related stories
No production details or timing have been announced yet, but when it does, the musical will be directed by Tony nominee Lileana Blain-Cruz (The Skin of Our Teeth, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone).
Prince made his movie debut in Purple Rain which grossed $100 million globally and was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2019 by the Library of Congress, which recognized it as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Having sold more than 150 records globally during his career, Prince stands as one of the all-time best-selling musicians. In 2024, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after winning seven Grammy Awards. In 2006, he won a Golden Globe for the song Song of the Heart from the movie Happy Feet.
Producers Larry Mestel, founder & CEO of Primary Wave Music, and L. Londell McMillan, chairman of The NorthStar Group, said in a statement, “We can’t think of a more fitting tribute than to honor Prince and the Purple Rain legacy with this stage adaptation of the beloved story.”
“We are overjoyed with our creative team and Broadway partners, who are infusing the film’s original fictional story with a theatrical quality. We can’t wait for Purple Rain to be discovered by a new generation and for fans of the original album and film to relive its power live,” the statement added.