Producer Matt Murphy has acquired the stage rights to Michael Blake’s 1986 best-selling novel Dances with Wolves, and intends to adapt it into a Broadway musical. No casting or creative team has been announced.
The novel, also known for its film adaptation starring Kevin Costner, tells the story of Lieutenant John Dunbar. Having been sent to a remote frontier outpost in the wilderness of the Dakota territory during the American Civil War, Dunbar encounters, and is eventually accepted into, the local Sioux tribe.
In a statement, Murphy says, “Dances with Wolves will be a uniquely spectacular and dramatic new musical. I envision a score that is inspired by Appalachian, folk, Civil War era, and Native American music, coupled with a production design that celebrates the spirit and ceremony of Native American culture amidst the awe-inspiring landscape of the American frontier.”
Murphy is currently represented on Broadway as one of the producers of the musical Memphis, and previous producing credits include the Broadway productions of Thurgood and Impressionism, and the Off-Broadway musical Altar Boyz.
For more information, visit www.mattmurphyproductions.com.
