Two-time Academy Award-nominated writer, John Logan, has been hired to adapt the musical sensation, “Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.” GK Films’ Graham King and Tim Headington are producing with Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio serving as executive producers. It is anticipated that the project will be produced in partnership with Columbia Pictures with Columbia Pictures handling worldwide distribution of the project except for some international territories that GK may potentially sell.
Frankie, Bob, Marshall, Rick, Amy, Tim and I are very excited about making this award-winning musical. As a group, we collectively decided to go to John to adapt this incredible story, stated Graham King.
“Jersey Boys” is the legendary story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi and tells the meteoric tale of how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide all before they were thirty.
With over $1 billion in ticket sales for the show that is now playing worldwide, their historic story has been entertaining audiences since the musical stage play opened on Broadway in 2005. It is on track to become one of the top performing shows of all time. Produced by Dodger Theatricals, the Broadway musical is written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, and direction by Des McAnuff. It was an instant hit winning four 2006 Tony Awards including Best Musical. The Original Broadway Cast Recording, produced by Gaudio, also received the 2006 Grammy Award® for Best Musical Show Album and has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The play went on to also win the 2009 Olivier Award for Best Musical after it opened Londons West End in 2008.
The feature film will be using much of the same music and lyrics in the stage play that features their beloved hit songs Sherry, Big Girls Dont Cry, Rag Doll, Oh What a Night and Cant Take My Eyes Off of You, just to name a few.
John Logan most recently wrote Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese, and a film adaptation of Shakespeares Coriolanus, directed by Ralph Fiennes. Logan also wrote the next James Bond film, Skyfall, which Sam Mendes is currently directing. The screenplay was also written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade. He is also collaborating with Patti Smith on adapting her best-selling book, “Just Kids,” which chronicles the musicians early years in New York. Additional film work includes Rango, The Aviator, Sweeney Todd, The Last Samurai and Any Given Sunday.
In addition to his successful screenwriting career, Logan is an accomplished dramatist with more than a dozen plays to his credit. His play, “RED,” received six Tony Awards® in 2010, including the award for Best Play.
