A Prince jukebox musical film produced by Black Panther director Ryan Coogler is on the way, Deadline reports.
The musical has been in development for Universal Pictures since 2018. Based on Prince’s songs, the film will serve as Coogler’s first time producing a music-driven project. Led by Coogler’s Proximity Media, Coogler will work alongside fellow producers Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian and executive producer Rebecca Cho. The film will also be produced by Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group Jody Gerson.
forwp-incontent-ad1">Prince accumulated five U.S. number-one singles, 15 worldwide number-one hits, and eight worldwide numbe- one albums. His No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 songs include “Let’s Go Crazy,” “When Doves Cry,” “Kiss,” and “Batdance.” His 1984 rock musical Purple Rain received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song Score and won Grammy awards for Best Album, Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, and Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.
Coogler’s Proximity Media has been on a roll since the release of Creed III with Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors, which grossed over $276 million worldwide. Jordan has re-teamed with Coogler for an untitled Warner Bros. project, a period genre film about vampires where Jordan will star opposite himself. The film is slated for a March 2025 IMAX release.
Last year, Proximity co-produced Steph Curry’s NBA documentary Stephen Curry: Underrated for Apple Original Films, A24, and Unanimous Media. The company also produced the documentary Anthem, which followed Kris Bowers and Dahi’s quest to reimagine the U.S. national anthem.
Coogler co-founded Proximity Media with Ohanian, two-time Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson, Archie Davis, and Peter Nicks to create event-driven feature films, television, soundtracks, and podcasts aimed at bringing audiences closer together through stories involving often-overlooked subject matters.
Proximity has received two Oscars for Judas and the Black Messiah and Space Jam: A New Legacy.
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