Disney Developing Stage Adaptation of ‘The Greatest Showman’

Disney is bringing The Greatest Show on Earth to the stage.

The company says that it is developing a stage musical based on the 2017 film The Greatest Showman to, produced by its Disney Theatrical division.

The announcement was made at the D23 conference in Anaheim, California, where a cast performed “The Greatest Show,” the signature song from the film.

The film starred Hugh Jackman as a young P.T. Barnum as he created the famous Barnum Circus.

Disney Theatrical’s current Broadway shows are Aladdin, which opened in 2014, and The Lion King, which has been running on Broadway since 1997.

Most recently, Disney Theatrical also had Frozen, which opened on Broadway in 2018 and then did not return after the pandemic forced the 18-month closure of all Broadway theaters.

The company’s other Broadway titles have included Aida, Tarzan, Mary Poppins, Newsies and more. Most titles go on from Broadway to national tours and international productions.

Before the Greatest Showman announcement, casts from the stage adaptations of Frozen, The Lion King and Aladdin performed a medley. The Greatest Showman is the first 20th Century Fox film to be adapted for the stage by Disney.

Fox Stage Productions was taken over by Disney Theatrical Productions after the Walt Disney Company completed its acquisition of the assets of 21st Century Fox in March 2019.

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote songs for the 2017 film. They also wrote Dear Evan Hansen, which won the 2017 Tony Award for best musical, with star Ben Platt also receiving a nod. Their other theater works include Christmas Story, Dogfight, Edges and James and the Giant Peach.

A rousing, crowd on their feet rendition of This is the Greatest Show serves as the announcement that THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, a 20th Century movie, is becoming a stage musical. pic.twitter.com/T9dGYyBd4g

— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) August 10, 2024