Andrew Lloyd Webber Pens New Tune for CATS Film Adaptation

Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic musical CATS, based on the poetry of T.S. Eliot, is one tiptoe closer to the big screen.

This evening, Baz Bamigboye of The Daily Mail has reported that Andrew Lloyd Webber has composed a new song for the would-be adaptation, which would be sung by the kitten Victoria. The composer is also toying with the idea of adding more new numbers to the score.

Baz also reveals that the film collaborators are exploring techniques which would use live actors with computer generated images.

"The work will be something you haven't seen before," Webber told Baz.

Tom Hooper, who was in talks to direct an adaptation for Universal Studios and Working Title, is developing the project. Though the project hasn't been given the official green light, Baz reports that it is in the early stages of casting and pre-production.

Hooper's big screen adaptation of LES MISERABLES was a box office smash and went on to win three Oscars and was nominated for five others, including Best Picture.

The director is currently deciding whether CATS should be made using CGI, live action, or a combination of the two, akin to Disney's current JUNGLE BOOK remake.

An executive for the project told the Mail: "Do you somehow use actors, sophisticated puppets, CGI -- or what? That's the point of the exercise. We hope to be able to answer all of those questions, following a long period of research."

Rumor is Hooper wants to cast Suki Waterhouse in the film, though no official announcement has been made.

Cats made its return to Broadway this summer at the Neil Simon Theatre and was also recently staged at the London Palladium for a limited 12-week run, starring former Pussycat Doll singer Nicole Scherzinger in the role of 'Grizabella'.

Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," the original Broadway production opened in 1982 at Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre, where it ran for 7,485 performances and 18 years. Cats was originally produced on Broadway by Cameron Mackintosh, The Really Useful Company Limited, David Geffen, and The Shubert Organization.

Since its world premiere, Cats has been presented in over 30 countries, has been translated into 15 languages, and has been seen by more than 73 million people worldwide. Originally directed by Trevor Nunn with choreography and associate direction by Gillian Lynne, scenic and costume design by John Napier, lighting design by David Hersey, and sound design by Martin Levan, Cats opened in the West End in 1981. The same creative team brought the musical to Broadway in 1982 where it won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Both the original London and Broadway cast recordings won GRAMMY AWARDS for Best Cast Album. Cats hit song "Memory" has been recorded by over 150 artists from Barbra Streisand and Johnny Mathis to Liberace and Barry Manilow.

The Tony Award-winning Best Musical held the title of longest-running musical in Broadway history until it was surpassed in 2006 by LES MISERABLES and later by Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. The original Broadway production closed on September 10, 2000 and is currently the fourth longest-running show in Broadway history.

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