Don’t know how this news fell under my radar since it is definitely that appeals to me. A recent Deadline article has reported that a film adaptation of Eric Idle and John Du Prez’s wildly successful, Tony Award winning Broadway musical, Spamalot (itself an adaptation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail), is now in development. Eric Idle is writing the script and the film will be directed by Casey Nicholaw.
This is pretty cool news. While I’ve never had the privilege of seeing the show, I am a huge fan of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and I find that particular brand of absurdist humor to be sorely missed. With Idle playing a significant role in the production process, it looks like it will retain those idiosyncrasies for the film. This also marks the film debut of Nicholaw, who had previously worked on plays such as Spamalot, The Book of Mormon, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Mean Girls. It’s exciting, but also a tad concerning since stage-to-screen adaptations are notoriously hit-or-miss, especially in recent years.
Since I haven’t seen the show, I cant really speak to what exactly prevents this from essentially being a retread of the 1975 classic. Sure, there are obviously some songs added in, and some extra jokes throw in for good measure. And I think this will be something of a hurdle for a number of comedy geeks who really cherish the original as this adaptation becomes more heavily marketed during production. It will have to do something different enough to not warrant constant comparisons to both the original film and the stage play, which will be tough. My hope is that, given the involvement of people who were a part of bringing the Broadway show to life, they are clever enough to make the necessary decisions to make this stand on its own, and satisfy old fans and general audiences who are just looking for a laugh.
What do you folks think of this? Have you seen the show? Do you think it lends itself to the screen? Feel free to discuss in the comments!