Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS
Jersey Boys Takes on Hollywood
By Staff
posted Oct 7, 2010, 05:02
GK Films to Produce Feature Film in Groundbreaking Deal
GK Films to Produce Feature Film in Groundbreaking Deal
(Santa Monica, CA) In a groundbreaking deal for a Broadway show, Graham King's
GK Films has acquired feature film rights to the smash hit musical stage play
"Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons."
King and Tim Headington will produce the film to be written by stage play scribes
Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio will executive
produce the film.
"Jersey Boys is one of the most electrifying stage shows any of us has
ever seen and it has all the ingredients to become a big commercial hit movie,"
commented King. "So to now be collaborating with the whole team - Frankie,
Bob, Marshall and Rick – to bring that magic to the big screen is just
a wonderful dream come true," he continued.
"We are extremely excited about the passion and commitment expressed by
GK Films to take Jersey Boys to another level . Graham King has been a believer
from day one. We are in good hands," said Valli and Gaudio.
Jersey Boys is the legendary story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: Frankie
Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi and tells the meteoric tale of
how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one
of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time. They wrote their own
songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide –
all before they were thirty.
With over $1bn in ticket sales for the show that is now playing worldwide,
their historic story has been entertaining audiences since the musical stage
play opened on Broadway in 2005. In September 2010 Jersey Boys played its 2000th
Broadway performance and is on track to become one of the top performing shows
of all time. Written by Brickman and Elice, the stage play is based on materials
furnished by Valli and Gaudio. Originally directed by Des McAnuff and produced
by Dodger Theatricals, the plays' music is written by Gaudio with lyrics by
Bob Crewe.
It was an instant hit winning four 2006 Tony Awards including Best Musical.
The Original Broadway Cast Recording, produced by Gaudio, also received the
2006 Grammy Award® for Best Musical Show Album and has been certified Platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The play went on to also win the 2009 Olivier Award for Best Musical after
it opened London's West End in 2008.
The feature film will be using much of the same music and lyrics in the stage
play that features their beloved hit songs "Sherry," "Big Girls
Don't Cry," "Rag Doll," "Oh What a Night" and "Can't
Take My Eyes Off of You," just to name a few.
GK Films' Julie Roach negotiated with Ken Ziffren and David Lande of Ziffren,
Brittenham, ICM's Jeff Berg and The Four Season's Peter Bennett to acquire the
film rights.
GK Films has a multi-film output agreement with Sony Pictures. Under that agreement
the studio is releasing GK Films' production The Tourist, starring Angelina
Jolie and Johnny Depp and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck on December
10th. GK Films is currently shooting the adventure Hugo Cabret, directed by
Martin Scorsese also set for release through Sony Pictures.
King also produced The Town directed and starring Ben Affleck released through
Warner Bros. Pictures after its gala debuts at the Venice and Toronto International
Film Festivals and recently completed shooting the animated tale Rango directed
by Gore Verbinski and produced with his Blind Wink Productions for Paramount
Pictures for a March 2011 release.
GK Films most recently announced it is producing the untitled Freddie Mercury
story starring Sacha Baron Cohen with Tribeca Productions and Queen Films from
a script by Peter Morgan.
Graham King launched his independent production company GK Films in May 2007
with business partner Tim Headington.
Resources:
http://gk-films.com
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