‘The Greatest Showman’ Is Being Adapted as a New Broadway Stage Musical ArticlePure

The greatest show is coming to the Great White Way.

At the D23 Expo entertainment showcase event on Friday, Aug. 9 in Anaheim, Calif., Disney Theatrical Group announced they were in development on a stage musical adaptation of The Greatest Showman, the beloved 2017 movie about the the life of P. T. Barnum and his creation of the Barnum & Bailey Circus.

“This is the moment you’ve waited for. ??” a caption from company read on Instagram, attached to a video announcing the Broadway-bound musical.

No further information — including casting, a creative team, or dates — were announced, but the musical is different from the Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular opening in London in September.

The Greatest Showman was a surprise hit for 20th Century Fox, which in 2019 was acquired by Disney. Opening in late December alongside Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the film opened to lackluster reviews and a dim box office, but positive word-of-mouth from audiences proved it to be a slow burn.

It’s currently one of the highest-grossing movie musicals of all time, making nearly $462 million worldwide.

Hugh Jackman led the film, with an ensemble cast that included Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya.

Directed by Michael Gracey, the movie was based on a story conceived by Jenny Bicks, who wrote the screenplay alongside Bill Condon. It featured nine original songs written by Tony Award and Oscar-winning composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

Many of those songs — including “This Is Me,” “Never Enough,” “From Now On,” “Rewrite the Stars,” “A Million Dreams” and the title number “The Greatest Show” — helped the original motion picture soundtrack become 2018 year’s best-selling album globally, according to the The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

The album took home best soundtrack at the 61st Grammy Awards. “This Is Me” was nominated for Best Original Song at the 90th Academy Awards, and won the Golden Globe in the same category.

A remix album, The Greatest Showman: Reimagined, was released that year too with a sea of covers by stars like Kelly Clarkson, Kesha, Pink, Panic! At the Disco, Sara Bareilles, Ty Dolla $ign, Missy Elliott, Jess Glynne and Zac Brown Band (among others).

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer??, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Disney Theatrical Group has been responsible for bringing a number of adaptations of hit films to the stage around the world. Those on Broadway alone have included Beauty and The Beast, Frozen, Newsies, Mary Poppins, Tarzan and The Little Mermaid.

Two of their productions are still currently running in New York City: Aladdin and the Tony-winning best musical The Lion King — the latter of which is the third longest-running Broadway show of all time.

Elsewhere at D23 Expo, Disney Theatrical Group revealed that a stage musical of Hercules, now running in Germany, would be coming “to electrify London’s West End in summer 2025.”

Meanwhile a filmed version of the London production of Frozen starring Samantha Barks as Elsa would be coming to Disney+ in 2025.