Based on Lauren Weisberger’s best-selling 2003 novel and the aforementioned Fox 2000 Pictures film, the new musical will feature music by John and book and lyrics by Rudnick. It will be produced by Kevin McCollum, Fox Stage Productions, and Rocket Entertainment.
A production timeline, casting, and additional creative team members will be announced at a later date.
Rudnick, who penned the screenplays for Addams Family Values, In & Out, and Jeffrey, told Playbill.com, “I am thrilled and honored and delighted to be working with Sir Elton John on The Devil Wears Prada. I love Lauren Weisberger's terrific novel and the wonderful film version, and the story's a musical theatre natural. I'm so grateful to be onboard with the project's extraordinary team of producers, Kevin McCollum, Bob Cohen of Fox Stage Productions and David Furnish. It's a dream project.”
Bob Cohen of Fox Stage Productions and Kevin McCollum said in a joint statement, “To bring The Devil Wears Prada to the stage, we knew we needed to find artists as inimitable as the characters in the story. We needed artists whose work has run the gamut from music and publishing to drama and fashion. We could think of only two names: Elton John and Paul Rudnick. … That’s all!”
John added, “Re-imagining The Devil Wears Prada for the musical theatre is super exciting. I’m a huge fan of both the book and the feature film, and a huge aficionado of the fashion world. I can’t wait to sink my musical teeth into this hunk of popular culture.”
The Devil Wears Prada, according to press notes, is the “story of Andy Sachs, a smart, curious and innocent young woman making her way in the world. Andy’s a few years out of college and while she’s determined to become a serious writer, she’s waylaid into a job as a second assistant at Runway, the world's foremost fashion magazine. Andy ends up working for Miranda Priestly, Runway's legendary, notorious editor-in-chief. Miranda is brilliant, impossibly demanding and merciless, and she introduces Andy to 15 hour workdays, the glory and complexity of fashion, and the dazzle of Fashion Week in Paris. Along the way, Andy finds friendship, romance, and a killer wardrobe. She also begins to grow up and decide exactly who she truly wants to be, amid the many temptations of a high-octane Manhattan career. The Devil Wears Prada explores a world that's passionate, comic, and touching: as Andy discovers, it's a great ride.”
The Devil Wears Prada motion picture, which was nominated for two Academy Awards—including one for Streep’s performance—went on to gross $326 million worldwide. Weisberger’s novel spent six months on The New York Times’ bestseller list.
