Rob Reiner Says He Still Wants to See a Princess Bride Stage Musical

Director Rob Reiner says he'd still like to see The Princess Bride sing on stage.

Rob Reiner, who directed the 1987 film adaptation of William Goldman's cult favorite novel The Princess Bride, told The Late Late Show host James Corden that he'd still like to see the property developed as a stage musical.

The project has been in development since the early 2000s but has encountered an unusual number of stumbling blocks and delays.

A source with knowledge of the project, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Playbill.com in 2014 that Disney's plans for the project had not changed since the November 2013 announcement that it was developing the property for the stage.

It has yet to be officially announced if The Princess Bride will be a musical or not; however, Reiner previously told WENN in July 2013 that, "I think it would make a great musical. I think the songs 'As You Wish' and 'Inconceivable,' and 'The Battle of Wits' just jump out at you."

Following Reiner's statement in 2013, The Guardian newspaper reported that Disney's plans for the stage production of Princess Bride had hit "roadblocks," citing a lack of updates on Disney's website for the show.

In an interview with Collider.com, Reiner said he had previously approached Hairspray Tony winner Marc Shaiman, as well as Oscar winner Randy Newman and even Grammy winner John Mayer to write songs for the production; however, none of the songwriters took the project on. "It really requires finding the right composer," he said. Goldman had previously begun collaborating with Tony-winning Light in the Piazza composer Adam Guettel on a musical adaptation of "The Princess Bride," but the two parted ways on the project in 2007.

The production will be based on Goldman's original novel and his 1987 screenplay. The creative team and development timetable for the project have yet to be determined. The deal was shepherded by Alan Horn, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios.

"I am thrilled that the next chapter in the life of The Princess Bride will unfold on the stage. With Alan Horn, Thomas Schumacher and his team at Disney Theatrical Productions leading the way, Buttercup, Westley and all of Florin are in the best of hands," Goldman said in a November 2013 statement.

"The Princess Bride has proven to be an enduring delight and a beloved favorite to multiple generations," added Thomas Schumacher, president and producer Disney Theatrical Productions in a statement. "What William Goldman created is first and foremost a celebration of storytelling; what better place to spin that tale than on the stage?"

Goldman is a famed screenwriter known for the films Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men and Marathon Man. He also wrote the classic examination of the Broadway world, “The Season,” and he returned to Broadway earlier this season with an adaptation of Stephen King's novel, Misery.

