Movie musical La La Land, starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, is currently generating a lot of buzz on the festival circuit ahead of its theatrical release on December 2. It's the latest example of the increasingly rare musical designed for the big screen, but it's not the only one.
For example, Rebecca Ferguson has just been cast in The Greatest Showman on Earth, a musical that is expected to begin production this fall, according to Variety. Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams and Zendaya are already set to appear. Michael Arndt wrote the screenplay; Michael Gracey will direct. Jackman will star as legendary showman P.T. Barnum, the creator of the Barnum & Bailey Circus; Ferguson will play Jenny Lind, a Swedish opera star.
Ferguson broke out big in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (top); since then, she's snared key roles in mystery thriller The Girl on the Train, due out October 7; crime drama The Snowman, opposite Michael Fassbender; and sci-fi thriller Life, opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds. Right now, she's being offered big roles in big movies, so while it makes sense that she would be offered the chance to play a Swedish opera star -- she is Swedish, after all -- it also indicates the relatively high "heat" of movie musicals right now.
Earlier this year, the British indie Sing Street paid tribute to music from the 1980s and earned considerable enthusiasm from critics and audiences alike.
On the animated side of things, upcoming movies Trolls and Sing are both being touted for their musical content; the former features Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick voicing trolls who can sing, while the latter revolves around a singing contest.
Next year will see the highly anticipated live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, which will feature songs from Disney's animated version as well as new material. It's scheduled for release on March 17, 2017.
Beyond that, however, the release calendar is bare until the end of the year, when Pitch Perfect 3 opens on December 22, followed by The Greatest Showman on Earth on December 25. It's a reminder for fans of movie musicals to treasure each one.
