John Cleese confirms he is developing the stage version of the 1979 controversial comedy movie about a man who reluctantly finds himself mistaken for the Messiah.
- Jul 7, 2021
AceShowbiz - Veteran funnyman John Cleese has been busy working on adapting Monty Python's "Life of Brian" for the stage.
The actor shared the news of his latest project with fans on Twitter on Sunday (04Jul21), explaining the theatre version of the 1979 comedy classic will be a play, and not a musical.
He wrote, "Today I finished the first draft of the script for the stage version of Life of Brian. Not a musical, as songs slow the pace down too much (sic)."
Cleese is eyeing a potential opening in late 2022, although he and his fellow surviving Python members – Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, and Eric Idle - won't be taking the stage.
"Depending on Covid, we might be able to do it in the second half of next year," he continued.
"No Pythons in the cast. We've had enough die already."
The group, including late comedians Graham Chapman and Terry Jones, caused controversy around the world with the original release of the satirical movie, which tells the fictitious story of Brian Cohen, a man born in Roman-occupied Judea, who reluctantly finds himself mistaken for the Messiah.
The many parallels to the life of Jesus Christ prompted religious group leaders to condemn the film for mocking Christianity, while it was banned or restricted to viewers 18 and over by 39 separate local authorities in the U.K., and was forbidden from being screened for eight years in Ireland and for a year in Norway.
The controversy did not stop the movie from becoming a box office office success, and it is now widely considered to be one of the greatest comedy films of all time.
Cleese's project is not the first time a Monty Python movie has been re-worked for the stage - 1975 film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" was turned into hit musical "Spamalot" by Idle in 2004. It originally ran on Broadway in 2005 and went on to earn 14 Tony Awards nominations, winning in three categories, including Best Musical.
Studio officials at Paramount Pictures are currently in the process of turning the musical into a movie.
