Pop star Sabrina Carpenter is going down the rabbit hole in an Alice In Wonderland musical for Universal Pictures. The success of Wicked has proved that there’s a ready market for fantasy musicals headed up by pop stars. And ahead of Wicked: For Good's cinema release, again starring Cynthia Erivo and pop sensation Ariana Grande, ... Alice In Wonderland | Sabrina Carpenter to star in new musical for Universal
Pop star Sabrina Carpenter is going down the rabbit hole in an Alice In Wonderland musical for Universal Pictures.
The success of Wicked has proved that there’s a ready market for fantasy musicals headed up by pop stars. And ahead of Wicked: For Good's cinema release, again starring Cynthia Erivo and pop sensation Ariana Grande, news has begun to circulate that an Alice In Wonderland musical is in the works at Universal.
It’s said to be the passion project for singer Sabrina Carpenter, who’ll both star and produce according to The Hollywood Reporter. Its director will be Lorene Scarafia, who made the terrific thriller Hustlers, and there’s also a Wicked connection. One of its other producers is Marc Platt, who headed up Wicked on both the stage and screen.
This is but the latest in a long line of films based on Lewis Carroll’s much-loved children’s tale, about a little girl who finds a dreamlike world at the bottom of a rabbit hole. Besides Disney’s 1951 animated version and Tim Burton’s disturbingly digital 2010 interpretation, there have been riffs on Carroll’s book that date all the way back to the silent era.
Jan Scankmajer’s eerie stop-motion animated film, Alice, released in 1988, is a particular highlight for this writer.
It’s unclear at present who Sabrina Carpenter will play at this early stage; she could possibly play an older Alice, or one of the three queens that pops up through the story. Given the size of her fame at present, it’s likely to be a sizeable role rather than a bit part, however – much like the Tim Burton version gave an expanded role to Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter.
Wicked For Good is due for release on the 21st November in the UK. The new Alice In Wonderland is likely to be at least a couple of years away, but we’ll keep you posted as updates emerge.
