Rex Pickett, whose novel Sideways was adapted into Alexander Payne's hit 2004 film, has formed a joint venture with EFG-Renascence Productions to develop a stage musical based on the book, Deadline reported. Pickett will write the musical in collaboration with composer Anthony Adams.
"Sideways is an incredible film that has never really been quarried for its franchise potential," said EFG-Renascence founder Solomon J. LeFlore. "We plan to rectify that. With movie-to-Broadway musical adaptations so popular, this seems a natural first step."
The novel has previously been adapted for the stage as a non-musical play, "most notably in a 2013 production at the La Jolla Playhouse directed by Des McAnuff (Ain't Too Proud)," Deadline wrote. Pickett said an Off-Broadway staging of that adaptation is planned for next January. The musical will be based on the novel, with scenes not in the movie. Pickett's novel The Archivist will be published by Blackstone Publishing this fall.