Paramount Pictures Buys 'Spamalot' Movie From Fox

The upcoming film adaptation of Spamalot has a new home. Fox originally acquired the project, but the movie lost steam when Disney purchased that studio. However, Deadline reports that Paramount Pictures will now develop the film, using the screenplay written by original Monty Python troupe member Eric Idle and songs written by Idle and John Du Prez. Casey Nicholaw is set to direct. Nicholaw is a veteran Broadway director and choreographer known for his work on Book of Mormon, Aladdin, Mean Girls, The Prom, The Drowsy Chaperone and Something Rotten!. The musical will be his first feature film.

Spamalot was adapted as a Broadway musical based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. While it was a box office flop, Monty Python and the Holy Grail went on to be a cult classic, hence the inspired musical. Featuring many iconic elements from the film, including the Black Knight, the Killer Rabbit, and the Holy Hand Grenade, Spamalot hilariously tells the story of King Arthur and his quest to unite the people of Britain.

Spamalot went on to earn 14 Tony Award nominations with three wins, including Best Musical, in 2005. It's original run ended in 2009 after 35 previews and 1,574 regular performances. Over two million people watched the show, and it grossed $175 million, proving it to be a bona fide hit by any metric. Tim Curry starred as Arthur on Broadway and in the West End, and other notable performers included American Idol winner Clay Aiken and Grey's Anatomy star Sara Ramirez.

Musical adaptations tend to be a bit of a risk. For every Les Misérables (2012), which earned $441.8 million at the global box office and three Oscar wins, there is a Cats (2019), which is estimated to have lost Universal Pictures $114 million and won six Razzies. Still, the public desire remains steadfast, as upcoming adaptations of West Side Story and In The Heights are a couple of the most anticipated films of 2021. Plus, if there was ever a time when people needed that trademark Monty Python wit, it's now. The main question that remains is who Tim Curry will play in his inevitable cameo. Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.