We zero in on family as a theme because it makes the movies emotionally available to a universal audience. Craig Zadan Read Quote
I think we sublimated our Broadway desires by doing theater in Hollywood – not on stage but by doing the movies of ‘Chicago’ and ‘Hairspray’ and also musicals on TV. We did Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Gypsy’ and ‘Annie.’ Even ‘Smash’ was like doing theater. Craig Zadan Read Quote
In the past, once a movie musical was made, it was believed that you were left with that version, good or bad, for posterity. Craig Zadan Read Quote
It rests in the hands of ‘Dreamgirls’ and ‘Hairspray.’ If they’re successful, we’ll be back on track – people will continue to greenlight musicals. If they don’t work, then you’re going to see everyone go back to the way it was before ‘Chicago.’ Craig Zadan Read Quote
Some filmmakers set out to re-create the theater experience they got on Broadway. They kept everything the same. They shot the original casts. We reinvent the whole thing, look at it solely as a movie. We pretend that nobody saw ‘Chicago’ or ‘Hairspray.’ Craig Zadan Read Quote
People think, ‘Oh, you’re doing ‘The Wiz’ because ‘Empire’ is such a big hit.’ The truth is, staging this musical has been a dream of ours since the ’90s, but the rights were tied up. It’s just coincidental that, this year, when we were choosing a new musical, the rights were cleared. Craig Zadan Read Quote
When you work on a passion project, there’s always the chance that you’ll get your heart broken. Craig Zadan Read Quote
There were no TV musicals until we did Bette Midler ‘Gypsy,’ and the success of that opened the door for us to do the rest. Craig Zadan Read Quote
