Is a musical version of Water For Elephants in the works?

Tom Millward
Tom Millward

It has been reported that the global stage rights to Sara Gruen's best-selling 2006 novel Water For Elephants have been acquired by producers Peter Schneider and Elisabetta di Mambro, in association with Broadway Across America and Mehr! Entertainment. Although no creative team, casting or dates have been announced yet, all roads now lead to the Great White Way!

Synopsis: "In this Depression-era novel, young Jacob Jankowski's life is dramatically changed when he is tossed by fate onto a train that is the home of the 'Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.' Just shy of his veterinary degree, Jacob is hired to doctor the circus' animal menagerie. During this time, he bonds with Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but emotionally troubled superintendent of animals. The tempestuous triangle that develops becomes even more complicated when Rosie, an Asian elephant with a personality to match any of the humans, enters the picture. 'The Great Gray Hope' for this third-rate traveling show raises the stakes—both literally and figuratively—in this romantic saga of love and trust pitted against danger and evil."

Sara Gruen's novel has sold over 10 million copies to date in a total of 43 countries.

A film adaptation of Water For Elephants was released in 2011, starring Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, and Christoph Waltz. It was directed by Francis Lawrence and featured a screenplay by Richard LaGravenese.

Originally published on

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