Do-re-mi-fa dys-en-ter-y! There is a musical adaptation of the classic computer game “The Oregon Trail” in the works of the team behind “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile”.
In an interview with colliderFilmmakers Will Speck and Josh Gordon have shared that they are collaborating with the songwriting team of “Lyle, Lyle” Pasek and Paul (Benj Pasek and Justin Paul) as they crack the musical-comedy version of the video game.
Although there is no currently attached studio, the group has shared that they have acquired the rights to “The Oregon Trail”. The report states that the project is in “active development”.
“People protect their intellectual property rights as big as they should,” Speck said. “These guys so far are great partners in letting us take it and deal with it. Also, we basically made them produce partners.”
Speck and Gordon shared that Pasek and Paul pitched the idea of adapting “The Oregon Trail” after the director duo stated that they “really want to do other music.” Looking at the obsessed source material, the filmmakers also shared that they are weighing whether the project should be developed for an R rating or aim for something less graphic.
“[The game] Gordon always got involved in this dark band of humor, because your chances of dying from everything from dysentery to wounding to whatever… Basically, every move you end up dying. “[We’re] Going back a little bit to our roots in comedy, marrying it with the fun of doing a big musical, and also the ambition to take that seriously as well and create a big historical expansion saga westward that also relates to death from dysentery.”
Speck and Gordon’s representatives could not be reached for further comment.
First released in 1974, “The Oregon Trail” was designed as an educational computer game for students to learn about the conditions of pioneer migration in the 19th century. The series has since spawned several sequels over the years across various platforms, with the latest being published by Apple in 2021.
One of the entertainment industry’s most popular songwriting duos, Pasek and Paul have written music for “La La Land” and “The Greatest Showman”, as well as written two new songs for the adaptation of their theatrical musical “Dear Evan Hansen”.
“Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” premieres on Friday.
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