According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney is collaborating with Ice Cube and Thomas Kail, director of Tony-winning smash Hamilton and the Emmy winning Grease: Live, to create a “modern” musical take of Oliver Twist, based on the classic by Charles Dickens. The original story took place during the English industrial revolution and told the tale of the title character, an orphan at the mercy of the lack of child labor laws. While, Fagin is the leader of the London pickpockets takes Oliver Twist under his wing. Thus, the story begins a mystery to be uncovered through hardships, violence and secrets.
In this new iteration of the classic, Ice Cube is attached to portray Fagin. The producers here are not new to revamping classic tales as Marc Platt, who worked on Wicked and Jeff Kwatinetz of The Firm are producing. Ice Cube will be also produce under his Cube Vision label. The new Oliver Twist will be a modern musical, featuring hip hop which will mesh well with the classic tale as we’ve seen through the success of Wicked and Hamilton and even the revamped Annie from 2014.
Ice Cube himself is an actor but he also started producing. His most recent works are Straight Outta Compton and Ride Along 2. However, he still fancies himself an actor and will star in Fist Fight, a New Line Cinema (which he helped executive produce) comedy which is set to be released in February 2017.
Oliver Twist has famously been adapted multiple times prior and has already been a musical in the form of Oliver!, which went from Broadway hit to Oscar-winning 1969 feature from director Carol Reed. We shall see if the latest iteration of Oliver Twist can have the same fate.
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