Walt Disney Studios is developing a new movie-musical based on Lionel Richie’s song catalog. The live-action project is titled after his 1983 song, All Night Long, and will be using some of his greatest hits.
According to the report, the artist pitched the concept to the studio, where it was accepted in January and the artist is on board as the film’s producer alongside his manager Bruce Eskowitz as well as Calvary Media’s Dana Brunetti and Matt Del Piano. Screenwriter Pete Chiarelli (Crazy Rich Asians, The Proposal) has reportedly been tapped to write the script.
The movie would fall in the realm of a jukebox musical, similar to Mamma Mia!, which followed the songbook of Abba Or Across The Universe, which used the catalogue of music from The Beatles.
Richie recently served as a judge on Disney/ABC’s American Idol for Season 18, which premiered in February and then adapted with stay-at-home performances in the wake of the pandemic. Richie was also forced to postpone his 2020 European summer tour to 2021 due to the pandemic.
The three-time Academy Award nominee has sold over 100 million records worldwide and definitely is movie deserving. Congratulations Lionel Richie! We can’t wait.
