Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, Thomas Meehan to Write Musical Version of the Movie Rocky

Thomas Meehan will write the book and Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens will write the score for a musical version of the classic movie Rocky, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Alex Timbers will direct the piece, which is scheduled to premiere in Hamburg, Germany in 2012, in a production being co-produced by the movie’s original star, Sylvester Stallone.

The Academy Award winning film centers on a small time boxer in Philadelphia who finds himself center ring fighting the heavyweight champ. The musical will include not only Flaherty and Ahrens’ original songs, but also hits from the movie, such as “Eye of the Tiger,” “Gonna Fly Now” and “Take You Back.”

Meehan has won Tony Awards for his books for Hairspray, The Producers, and Annie. Flaherty and Ahrens won a Tony for their score for Ragtime and received a Tony Award nomination for Once on This Island.