In 1984 award winning rock star Prince starred in the somewhat biographical film “Purple Rain”.  The film garnered Prince an Academy and Grammy Award with the soundtrack being certified Diamond for selling over 10 million copies in the United States (13 million copies).

Now that film is being developed into a musical.  Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is writing the book for the musical; adapting the screenplay from the film.  Lileana Blain-Cruz will direct the project with Orin Wolf as producer.

Prince Rogers Nelson died at his Paisley Park home in 2016.

NorthStar Group Chairman L. Londell McMillan and Primary Wave Music founder and CEO Larry Mestel spoke on the project saying, “it’s been almost 40 years since Prince’s legendary film ‘Purple Rain’ took the world by storm and we can’t think of a more fitting tribute than to honour Prince and the ‘Purple Rain’ legacy with this stage adaptation of the beloved story.  We are thrilled with our Broadway partners and creative team who are bringing a theatricality to the film’s original fictional story.  We can’t wait for a new generation to discover ‘Purple Rain’ ad for lovers of the original film and album to experience its power once again, this time live.”

No time line for the production has yet to be determined.

Jacobs-Jenkins has previously worked on “The Skin of Our Teeth”, “Appropriate”, “The Comeuppance”, “Girls”, “Everybody”, “Gloria”, and “An Octoroon”.