Walk This Great White Way: Run-DMC Musical Planned

According to the New York Times, veteran Hollywood producer and longtime Tom Cruise collaborator, Paula Wagner (Mission Impossible, The Last Samaurai, War of the Worlds), is talking with Run (Joseph Simmons), DMC (Darryl McDaniels) and the estate of Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell) regarding a possible Broadway musical based on the lives and careers of Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay. Says the Times, “‘Their work speaks to everybody,’ Ms. Wagner said in a telephone interview, ‘and the story of their rise to fame is innately theatrical.’”

Additionally, from the article:

Ms. Wagner said she was also a lifelong Run-DMC fan. “Their lyrics and their music is infectious,” she said. “It’s vibrant, it’s alive. Who they are and what they did was a culturally defining moment. It embraced everybody.”

Ms. Wagner acknowledged that her film-producing experience was no guarantee that she could execute a stage musical, and she said she was talking to other producers and potential team members to help bring the project to Broadway. “I have a number of good friends,” she said, “and I think I will be turning to all my friends.”

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