"Dreamgirls" Film to Be Released in December 2006
By Andrew Gans
12 Oct 2005
Production for the film of the hit musical Dreamgirls will begin in January 2006, and the new movie musical is set to hit screens around the country in December of that year.
Variety reports that Paramount Pictures will now co-finance the film — which features a screenplay by Bill Condon — with DreamWorks. Paramount will be responsible for overseas distribution of the film, while DreamWorks will handle the North American distribution.
The industry paper also says that confirmed stars for the film include Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy. No other casting has been announced.
Bill Condon will also direct the film, which will employ the original score by Tom Eyen and Henry Krieger.
Among the films co-produced by Paramount and DreamWorks are "Saving Private Ryan," "Deep Impact," "Collateral" and "War of the Worlds."
"Dreamgirls," according to a recently casting release, is described thusly: "Set in the early 1960's to the 1970's, this is the story of the amazing 'Dreams' — three African-American girl singers from the projects of Detroit who break their hearts on the path to stardom."
Dreamgirls, which concerns the rise of a Supremes-like singing group amid a flurry of infighting, debuted at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre on Dec. 9, 1982, playing 1,521 performances before closing Aug. 11, 1985. The original cast featured Obba Babatundé, Cleavant Derricks, Loretta Devine, Ben Harney, Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Deborah Burrell. The show lost the Tony for Best Musical to Maury Yeston’s Nine. A 1987 revival at the Ambassador Theatre starred Lillias White, Alisa Gyse, Kevyn Morrow, Weyman Thompson and Arnetia Walker.
Dreamgirls song titles include "One Night Only," "I Am Changing," "When I First Saw You," "Family" and Effie's first-act show stopper, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going."
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