If you ever wondered what it would look like if Prince got the Mamma Mia treatment, Universal Pictures is here to answer that question. The studio is currently developing a musical inspired by the music of the legendary artist, who passed away in 2016.
Universal recently acquired the rights to a number of Prince’s classic tunes, but it doesn’t seem they’re interested in making a direct biopic. They want to honor the eight-time Grammy winner with a project that will follow in the footsteps of Mamma Mia and Across the Universe.
Instead of focusing on artists that wrote them, these jukebox musicals used songs by ABBA and The Beatles to build new stories around them. The masterminds behind this promising project also intend to use Prince’s songs to drive a fictional narrative, in the same fashion Mamma Mia did.
The studio shouldn’t have any trouble bringing this project to life since recent Black-ish Prince tribute episode demonstrated his songs can be used as a storytelling device. This show celebrated its 100th episode by honoring the iconic artist, and integrated several hit songs into the narrative – including Purple Rain, Nothing Compares 2 U and Sexy M.F.
