New Line is getting musical-happy. The studio, who just announced they were planning a sequel to last year's hit, Hairspray, have won a studio bidding war for the rights to the rock musical Rock of Ages, an off-Broadway show that pairs '80s rock ballads with an on-stage love story (a la Mamma Mia!) that's currently rocking out in New York.

Tags: Broadway, Mamma Mia, musical, New Line, off-broadway, REO Speedwagon, Rock of Ages

In many ways, Cleopatra was a woman ahead of her time. Through political machinations, she sought to secure her place in history, and if she could have seen into the future, she would have seen that her fame lived on, even if her empire did not. She would have also seen that she'll be getting the high-tech treatment as Steven Soderbergh plots to bring her story to the big screen. According to Variety, the director is planning to tell the story of Egypt's final pharaoah as a rock musical -- and it will be in 3-D. If she'd known this would some day be her fate, Cleo may have opted for a life of obscurity. [I think we're eight years beyond that. Have you seen Cleopatra 2525? - Zach]

Tags: 3-D, 3D, Antony, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Cleopatra, Hugh Jackman, musical, rock musical, Steven Soderbergh

I'm not going to lie -- Zac Efron, for all the High School Musical-y stuff he's done (I can't drive two blocks without seeing him jumping ecstatically in a cap and gown), earned my respect for his stint as Link in Hairspray. For all the fun I'd normally make of a guy with hair as floppy and in need of cutting as his, I won't, because what John Waters has joined together, let no blogger put asunder. So, it is with humility and a straight face that I bring you the news that the Footloose remake that will star one Mr. Zac Efron, has gotten the blessing of Kevin Bacon. I'm sure we'll all sleep better.

Tags: Footloose, High School Musical, HSM3, Kevon Bacon, musical, remake, Zac Efron

With Josh Brolin getting a lot of press lately for playing a letter of the alphabet and signing on to play Jonah Hex, I naturally wondered when someone would pounce to make a sequel his first big movie, The Goonies. As it turns out, Richard Donner -- who directed the 1985 hit about a motley crew of adventurous kids -- had already been working on a follow-up. Sadly, sequels just don't seem to be happening for Donner lately, and even with Steven Spielberg enthusiastically on his side, things just didn't quite come together, according to Variety. Goonies never say die, though, so Donner is working hard to make sure they'll live on... in a Broadway musical.

Tags: Broadway, Josh Brolin, musical, Richard Donner, sequel, The Goonies

When Hollywood movies get made into Broadway musicals, it's not necessarily a bad thing -- that is, of course, unless you consider any Broadway musical to be a "bad thing." They certainly make money, and ever since The Producers blew up, movie-based musicals like Legally Blonde, Young Frankenstein and Spam-A-Lot have played to packed houses. Hell, even Evil Dead has enjoyed a long, successful run at its Toronto theatre and on tour. Recently, we reported on the proposed 9 to 5 musical, but that seems almost logical next to the latest news. Not only is the rumored Spider-Man musical still actually happening, but there's going to be an American Psycho musical, as well. Be still, my pulsating, gore-dripping heart.

Tags: American Psycho, Broadway, musical, Spider-Man, Superman

It's like someone opened up the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, chanted a little something, and not one but two new possible Evil Dead projects popped out to possess unsuspecting audiences. Zach recently posted about the prospects of a fourth outing with Ash Williams and his demon-obliterating weapon of choice. Thanks to Screen Daily, today I bring you news of Evil Dead: The Musical. According to the article, producer Don Carmody and his partners are in negotiations to make a movie version of the Canadian and off-Broadway stage musical based on the Raimi films.

Tags: 3-D, Army of Darkness, Evil Dead, Evil Dead: the Musical, Hairspray, musical, Sam Raimi