A musical version of When We Were Kings is in the works for the stage. Based on the 1996 Oscar-winning documentary, the show will follow the legendary 1974 fight between the late Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
The musical, featuring a book by Shelley Marcus, aims to explore Ali's life while fusing sports, music, politics, race, dance, and culture.
While no casting information has been announced, the project from producer David Sonenberg will have a workshop in the spring of 2019 and plans to have a full stage musical the following year. It will feature R&B classics heard at the 1974 Zaire Music Festival, in addition to "Rumble In The Jungle", which was written for the film by The Fugees.
The musical will include portrayals of James Brown, B.B. King, The Pointer Sisters, among others, who all performed at the Zaire festival just before the fight.
