Sam Mendes to Direct New Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Musical

Sam Mendes will direct the new stage musical version of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, according to a report on Deadline.com. As previously reported, the musical will feature a book by playwright David Greig and music from the songwriting team of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The project is aiming to open in London during the 2011 holiday season.

Dahl’s novel about a poor boy who wins a tour of a mysterious chocolate factory from the eccentric Willy Wonka has been translated into two movies that have prominently featured music. The first, 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, won an Oscar for best original score and featured hits such as “The Candy Man Can.” The second, Tim Burton’s 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, featured music written and performed by Danny Elfman.

Mendes won the Academy Award for American Beauty. His many stage credits include The Vertical Hour, Gypsy, Cabaret, The Blue Room, Uncle Vanya, and Twelfth Night, along with the Bridge Project’s current productions of As You Like It and The Tempest.

The new stage version of the story is being produced by Mendes and Caro Newling’s Neal Street Productions for Warner Brothers Theatre Ventures.