Big Eyes here, introducing a new writer to AICN, Chainsaw Arm Mechanic!
Over 100 years ago there was an incredibly boring person named Hans Christian Andersen. He wrote fantastic children's’ books, but his life was dreadfully dull. He wrote "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", "The Ugly Duckling", and "Thumbelina". Now the acclaimed musical writer Stephen Schwartz is writing a musical based on this man’s life. To spice up the details, Schwartz is writing something akin to “Nightmare Ned”. Hans Christian Andersen will be fighting his way out of his nightmares, and these nightmares will be the inspiration for his fairy tales.
Deadline Hollywood reports that Stephen Schwartz has his eye on Baby Driver’s Ansel Elgort for the lead, which gives me hope that this musical, like “Baby Driver”, will be full of car chases, bullet holes, and possibly an original song by Run The Jewels. It is my personal opinion that not enough musicals have car chases and/or bullet holes and/or original songs by Run The Jewels.
It is also reported that Stephen Schwartz has started a rabid, foaming at the mouth bidding war between multiple studios. Which makes sense considering that this is the first original piece he’s worked on since “Wicked” and that show was nothing if not a mutant hybrid between a cash cow and a money tree. “Wicked” was so profitable that it was like Scrooge McDuck’s wet dream. Schwartz visited 11 different studios over the course of a few days, bringing an electric piano with him to each. Fox 2000 is supposedly the frontrunner in the bidding war, but regardless of who wins, I’m pretty sure that the real winners in this situation are the musical nerds.
