7 Musicals We'd Love To See Adapted into Films

There has been no shortage of musical movies in previous years. And we couldn’t be more grateful to be able to experience the joy of musical theatre from the comfort of our sofas and share the flicks through generations!

After the record-breaking, triumphant release of Wicked and Wicked: For Good, director Jon M. Chu, among other musical theatre devotees, is leading the charge and ripping up the rulebook for stage-to-screen adaptations.

It got us thinking about other classic, beloved musicals that have only been performed on stages. With many shows reportedly in development, we’re holding out hope for even more to follow suit…

1. Aida

Elton John and Tim Rice’s lesser-known musical (well, isn’t everything when compared to The Lion King?) is based on an opera, so it lends itself perfectly to the dramatic medium of film. Plus, it is a Disney musical, after all. The Broadway cast featured a wealth of big voices, including Heather Headley, Deborah Cox, Toni Braxton, with Michelle Williams in the title role and Idina Menzel as Amneris, Princess of Egypt. We don’t imagine the casting team to be short of stars looking to bring this one to the screen.

2. City of Angels

City of Angels is just crying out to be adapted into a film! The Tony Award-winning musical from Cy Coleman, David Zippel and Larry Gelbart, follows a screenwriter adapting his noir novel into a movie. We’d love to see the black and white scenes jump from stage to screen and how the cast portrays their double roles.

3. Company

Marianne Elliot’s gender-swapped Company took Stephen Sondheim’s much-loved musical to new heights, giving it a modern overhaul. Jonathan Bailey – who has more than proven his pull in big-budget film adaptations – and Patti LuPone picked up awards for their roles as Jamie and Joanne, respectively, with Matt Doyle taking the baton with a bang on Broadway, and we wouldn’t mind seeing any of them reprising the roles on screen.

4. Pacific Overtures

Another Sondheim musical makes the list (and we’ve restrained ourselves from adding even more…), but it would be fascinating to see how this show could be presented today, ideally with a caring and authentic cast and creative team behind it. The numbers are lesser-known in the musical theatre canon; in fact, a new iteration of the piece was staged for the first time in the UK only a couple of years ago, but they are truly underappreciated.

5. Parade

Jason Robert Brown’s musical, which follows the true story of Leo Frank, a Brooklyn-born Jewish man wrongfully convicted of rape and murder, had a monumental revival in 2023 with Ben Platt (who is, and will be for the next few years, bringing Merrily We Roll Along to film) and Micaela Diamond leading as the Franks. A heartbreaking tale outlining racism and bigotry, a film adaptation would bring more attention to the rarely staged musical.

6. Ragtime

It’s hard to imagine why Ragtime, a universally adored classic musical, hasn’t been adapted into a movie yet. Perhaps the hit Broadway revival, starring Joshua Henry, Brandon Uranowitz and Caissie Levy, will set the wheels in motion.

7. Sunday in the Park with George

Sorry, sorry. It’s another Sondheim. But can you blame us? We can just imagine the dreamlike strokes of Georges Seurat’s artwork, and the hopefulness of James Lapine and Sondheim’s intentions with the piece.