As previously reported, Hal Luftig, one of the producers of Thoroughly Modern Millie, will produce the Broadway-bound musical. The film starred Reese Witherspoon as a cosmetics-perfect California sorority girl who follows her jerky boyfriend to Harvard Law School. It was a surprise box office smash in 2001, and spawned a less-well-received sequel last summer.
The first film was based on a book by Amanda Brown, and Luftig has optioned the story and characters. The Observer reported Luftig will produce the musical in conjunction with Fox Theatricals and Dori Berinstein of the Oxygen Network.
Mitchell choreographed the current Broadway musical Never Gonna Dance. Mitchell's future projects include a new revival of West Side Story (which he will direct and choreograph) and choreography for another screen-to-stage transfer, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (directed by Jack O'Brien).
Legally Blonde and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels are just two of many projects associated with MGM/UA's Onstage division, which encourages producers and writers to exploit MGM film titles for the musical theatre. Scoundrels is being shepherded by producers Marty Bell and David Brown, and a creative team that includes book writer Terrence McNally and composer-lyricist David Yazbek.