Universal Wants To Make The MAMMA MIA Of Prince Musicals

According to Variety, Universal has acquired the rights to a number of classic Prince songs, which it intends to thread throughout an original musical featuring a story inspired by those songs. So, not a biopic so much as a jukebox musical, like Mamma Mia.

"But why not just make a musical biopic about Prince?" Good question, imaginary reader! Variety says both Universal and Prince's estate felt that angle was already well-covered by 1984's Purple Rain, which...y'know, fair enough. Hard to argue with that.

But jukebox musicals are a funny thing. Sometimes they capture the zeitgeist, make the leap from the stage to the screen, and end up charming the pants off everyone (Mamma Mia). Other times they come across like grotesque, try-hard abominations and end up pleasing no one (Rock of Ages). It's hard to say which camp Universal's proposed Prince musical might fall into, but my gut instinct tells me this is a most ill-advised idea. Naturally, I will be there on day one. 

As of this moment, there's not really much else to report here - Universal's got the songs they want, a gameplan, and is currently looking for writers and producers who might be able to pull it together - but rest assured we'll be keeping a very close eye on this project as it works its way through production. 

In the meantime: got opinions? Share 'em below.