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Thelma & Louise screenwriter Callie Khouri has revealed that a Broadway musical based on the movie is in the early stages of development. She's remaining vague about what the musical might look like, but she has described it as a reimagination of her original story.
"It’s a completely different animal," Khouri told The Hollywood Reporter. "We’ve got a book and we’ve got music but because of the pandemic, we all haven’t been together in a very, very long time. So, it’s still in its nascent stages, but it’s very promising. I don’t want to say too much about it."
Khouri is teaming up with a few collaborators to bring the project to the stage – theater director Trip Cullman and playwright Halley Feiffer are currently on board, and the musical will feature original songs from indie singer-songwriter Neko Case. As well as writing and acting, Feiffer has also worked in a producing role on the upcoming FX series American Crime Story: Impeachment starring Sarah Paulson, Margot Martindale, and Beanie Feldstein.
The original 1991 movie follows two best friends – ditzy housewife Thelma (Geena Davis) and sharp-tongued waitress Louise (Susan Sarandon) – on a road trip to escape their mundane suburban lives, but things quickly take a turn for the worse. Directed by Ridley Scott, the supporting cast includes Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, and Brad Pitt in one of his first big-screen roles. It received six Oscar nominations and Khouri won the award for Best Original Screenplay.
Although the movie's ending is pretty unambiguous – Thelma and Louise drive over the edge of the Grand Canyon, after all – there have apparently been plenty of requests for more action from the titular characters. "There have been queries over the years, but I didn’t really want to see it. I just felt like they nailed it," Khouri told The Hollywood Reporter. "I’m not a big reboot person, anyway."
In the 30 years since Thelma & Louise was released, Khouri has written and directed the movies Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Mad Money, as well as creating the TV show Nashville.
While we wait to see whether the Thelma & Louise musical comes to fruition, fill out your watch list with our picks of the best movies of 2020.
