Paramount Pictures acquired the rights to The King and I by Rodgers & Hammerstein, and the studio aims to put together a moving and vivid retelling of the classic history of East and West.
Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey’s Temple Hill will produce. Concord, which acquired the Rodgers & Hammerstein catalog in 2017, will also act as a producer.
The first film made from the stage musical was directed by Walter Lang and starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr. The 1956 Fox film won five Oscars out of nine nominations, including Best Actor for Brynner. In classical history, Anna Leonowens set sail from England to Bangkok, Zion (now Thailand), to take up the post of professor at the royal court of the King of Siam.
Studio believes that this new adaptation brings a tremendous opportunity to reimagine this classic story with a contemporary perspective that explores the diversity and contrasting worldviews of the characters, drawing from the real and musical history.