Directed by Steve Carr, the upcoming musical will feature Heidi Blickenstaff and Cozi Zuehlsdorff playing bickering mother and daughter who wish they could switch places.
- Sep 30, 2017
AceShowbiz - Just a day after announcing the reboot of "Hocus Pocus", Disney Channel states that they will give "Freaky Friday (2018)" a musical treatment. The new musical will be based on the Disney Theatrical Productions' stage adaptation of Mary Rodgers' 1972 novel and Disney's popular feature films of the same name.
"Freaky Friday" is slated to debut on the network in 2018 as a part of the Disney Channel Original Movie franchise. The upcoming TV musical will star Heidi Blickenstaff as Katherine. Meanwhile, Cozi Zuehlsdorff ("Dolphin Tale") will step into the role of Katherine's daughter Ellie.
Directed by Steve Carr, the musical also stars Ricky He as Adam, Alex Desert as Mike, Jason Maybaum as Fletcher, Kahyun Kim as Torrey and Dara R. Moss as Savannah. Jennifer LaPorte, Isaiah Lehtinen and Sarah Willey will play Monica, Karl and Kitty respectively.
Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning composers Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey will provide songs for the musical, with David Lawrence working on the score. Bridget Carpenter will once again pen the screenplay. John Carrafa, a Tony nominee for "Urinetown" and 2002's "Into the Woods", has been tapped to serve as choreographer.
Carr will also serve as executive producer alongside Disney Theatrial Productions president Thomas Schumacer and Susan Cartsonis. "A classic story like 'Freaky Friday’ has a magical capacity to engage multiple generations-whether it's in the form of a book, a theatrical film, a stage show-or all of the above! Working with our partners at Disney Live Theatrical, we're thrilled to bring this classic story to life in a whole new form, a music-driven movie for television, that will be enjoyed by tens of millions of kids and families around the world," Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer of Disney Channels Worldwide, said.
"Freaky Friday" follows bickering mother and daughter who both wish they could switch places. And voila! Their wishes come true as they switch places for a full day and the journey of self-discovery and emphathy begins.
Prior to this, "Freaky Friday" has been adapted into two movies. The 1976 flick starred Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster. Meanwhile, 2003's "Freaky Friday" featured Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan playing the bickering mother and daughter.
