Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Will Sam Mendes direct new musical?

Sam Mendes	Movie poster

According to Mike Fleming of Deadline.com, Sam Mendes is to direct a stage version of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman, and book by David Greig - which is expected to premiere in London's West End in 2011 before transferring to Broadway in 2012. A succesful reading of the musical's first act was held in Manhattan last week.

The Tony Award-winning songwriting team of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray) will continue to write songs for the musical, while David Greig completes the book. A Stage designer is currently being sought to construct the set for the Chocolate factory. There has been no official announcement and possible casting for the musical is not known.

The musical is to be produced by Warner Brothers Theatre Ventures and Sam Mandes' Neal Street Productions. Ronald Dahl's children book 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' was written in 1964 and tells the story of A young boy named Charlie who wins a tour through the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world, led by the world's most unusual candy maker 'Willy Wonker.' The book has twice been adapted into film: 'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory' in 1971 starring Gene Wilder as 'Willy Wonka,' and 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' in 2005, this time starring Johnny Depp as 'Willy Wonka.' It has often been rumoured that Warner Bros. Pictures made the 2005 adaptation is order to gain the rights from Ronald Dahl's estate to make a stage musical of the story.

British stage and film director Sam Mendes' directional work was last seen on Broadway when he helmed David Hare's 'The Vertical Hour.' Other Broadway productions he has directed include 'Gypsy' (2003 revival), 'The Blue Room' and 'Cabaret' (1998 revival) - for which Mendes was nominated for a Tony Award.

Mendes's 'Neal Street Productions' have brought many productions to Broadway, including 'Red,' 'Enron' and After Miss Julie,' to name a few.

The production company has had previous experience bringing stage adaptations of childrens' films to Broadway. They teamed up with DreamWorks Theatricals to bring 'Shrek the Musical' to Broadway. If Charlie and the Chocolate Factorymusical arrives on Broadway in 2011, let us hope that the show is a greater commercial success than 'Shrek the Musical,' which some reports say lost the producers more than one million dollers.