New The King and I Musical Film Adaptation in the Works at Paramount

New The King and I Musical Film Adaptation in the Works at Paramount

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Pictures has successfully acquired the rights to the award-winning and popular Broadway musical The King and I which was the fifth musical created by acclaimed Broadway duo Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The studio has partnered up with Temple Hill to develop a brand new film adaptation of The King and I.

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Based on Margaret Landon’s 1944 novel titled Anna and the King of Siam, The King and I is set during the early 1860s in Siam (now known as Thailand) where it follows the story of a British schoolteacher named Anna Leonowens, who was hired by the Western-leaning king to become the governess of the royal children. The Broadway musical first made its premiere in 1951 which went on to win major Tony Awards including Best Musical.

Pick up a copy of the first film adaptation!

The musical was then adapted into a film in 1956 by 20th Century Fox with Walter Lang as its director. It starred Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner and was a critical and commercial success. In 1999, it was also into an animated feature by Warner Bros. which featured the voices of Miranda Richardson and Martin Vidnovic.

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The new King and I adaptation will be produced by Marty Bowen & Wyck Godfrey’s Temple Hill along with Concord, who acquired Rodgers and Hammerstein’s catalog in 2017. Paramount believes that the project will be a great opportunity to reimagine the classic story and bring in its much-needed diversity that previous adaptations have lacked.

(Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

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