Writers Set for Grumpy Old Men, Headed for Bway in '08

Broadway plans for a previously announced musical version of the hit film Grumpy Old Men are now moving forward, with a writing team now attached to the project.

Grumpy Old Men will feature music by Neil Berg, lyrics by Nick Meglin and a book by Dan Remmes.

In July of last year, it was announced that producer Jeff Gardner has snapped up the rights to the film, which was a 1993 hit that starred Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau as the elderly romantic rivals and neighbors of the title. The show is now slated for a Broadway run in spring of 2008.

Grumpy Old Men "is the story of two aging men, Max and John, neighbors, who have been feuding for most of their lives. They are re-united in friendship through the love and compassion of their new neighbor across the street, the beautiful, eccentric, and charming Ariel," state press notes.

Berg's musicals, which have been produced at various venues, include The Man Who Would Be King, The Prince and Pauper, Threads and Fiona: The Mother Goose Musical. He is also the creator of the musical theatre retrospective 104 Years of Broadway, which plays the Lenape PAC in New Jersey on July 7th and July 8th.

With Berg, lyricist Meglin penned the NYMF hit Tim and Scrooge: A Carol for a Later Christmas. His work as editor of Mad Magazine spans 30 years, and he has also written many books and articles. Remmes' plays include Night Out (produced by Gardner in San Diego) and Three Tables, while with Scott Singer and Martha Davis (of the singing group The Motels), he wrote a musical version of The Enchanted Cottage.

Grumpy Old Men earned more than $70 million at the box office in 1993, and inspired the sequel Grumpier Old Men. The movie featured a screenplay by Mark Steven Johnson and was directed by Donald Petrie; Ann-Margret co-starred as Ariel.