A hit musical based on the life of singer-songwriter Carole King is to be made into a Hollywood film by studio Sony, reports the New York Times.
Based on Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which is currently in its second year on Broadway and last month debuted in the West End, the film will feature many of King’s best-known songs. The stage version features hits written by – and recorded by – King, such as The Locomotion, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman and It’s Too Late.
Beautiful tells the story of King’s early success as part of a songwriting duo with husband Gerry Goffin in the early 60s, through to her debut as a solo artist and the runaway success with her album Tapestry in 1971. It details her sorrow at the breakup of her marriage to Goffin, as well as the duo’s rivalry and friendship with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, the team behind 60s hits such as We Gotta Get Outta This Place and You Lost That Lovin’ Feeling (with Phil Spector).
“Audiences both on Broadway and in the West End have responded to Beautiful, not only to relive Carole King’s timeless classics, but to experience the ways they illustrate her triumphant and joyful life story,” said Sony’s Michael De Luca in a statement.
King is considered one of the greatest songwriters of the latter part of the 20th century, having written songs such as Take Good Care of My Baby for Bobby Vee, Up on the Roof for the Drifters, I’m into Something Good for Herman’s Hermits and Pleasant Valley Sunday for the Monkees. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman was a hit for Aretha Franklin; she later recorded it herself. Tapestry has sold more than 25m copies worldwide.
Beautiful will hope to repeat the success of other recent “jukebox” musicals that have made the jump from stage to screen. In terms of box office clout, the most successful of the past decade is 2008’s Mamma Mia!, based on the songs of Abba, though it is not a biopic. Walk the Line, the 2005 film based on the life and songs of Johnny Cash, remains the critical standard bearer of recent times, with five Oscar nominations and a best actress win for Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash.
There are no casting details for the film version of Beautiful, which does not yet have a director attached. The screenplay will be written by Douglas McGrath, who wrote the book that accompanied the stage production.
Elements of King’s life story were previously purloined for the 1996 drama Grace of My Heart, which centres on an aspiring singer who sacrifices her own career to write songs for others and experiences a troublesome marriage before finally finding success in her own right.
