Thriller, Nederlander acquire the rights to produce a musical based on Jackson�s album

Producer James L. Nederlander has announced that he has acquired the rights for a stage version of Michael Jackson's 1982 album 'Thriller.'

The musical will include songs from two of Jackson's best-selling albums, 'Thriller' and 'Off the Wall.' The story is to be based on the 1982 "Thriller" video - an iconic music-video spoof of horror films - in which a young girl's date goes badly wrong when her boyfriend turns into a 'werewolf.'

James L. Nederlander, the president of the Nederlander Organization, said, �I love the idea of making �Thriller� a musical. Girl meets boy, they fall in love, boy has big secret, now what��

The 'Thriller' album, and its iconic music-video celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008, with the release of a special anniversary edition of the album.

"Michael was interested in doing something a little more with "Thriller"and he came to me to see if there was any interest and I said, 'Very much so.� Now it�s time to put the creative team together,"Nederlander said.

It is reported that Jackson intends to be involved in the production of the musical, and may even attend the musical' casting auditions.

The musical is expected to make an appearance in 2010, and will have a pre-Broadway tryout before ending up on the Great White Way. It seems with the legion of 'Thriller' fans out there, the musical should prove to be a viable financial proposition, even in these difficult economic times. As a result it will only be a matter of when the musical makes an appearance, and not if.

There has been no announcement as to who will write the book for the musical, or who will direct or choreograph.