FROZEN Writing Team Departs Disney's BOB THE MUSICAL; Tom Cruise to Star?

BOB THE MUSICAL is circling a new creative team.

The Hollywood Reporter writes that Disney's upcoming comedy will not feature music from Tony-winning FROZEN composer/lyricist team Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, as previously announced.

In an April interview with BroadwayWorld, Robert Lopez said he and his wife "worked on that project a while back and kind of wrapped our work for now on it."

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon is in talks to pen the project, with Oscar-winner Bret McKenzie -- best known as one half of the FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS duo and also a writer for THE MUPPETS -- set to compose the music.

Aside from the FROZEN writing team, NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE's Mike Bender, FRANKENWEENIE's John August, Lowell Ganz and CITY SLICKERS' Babaloo Mandel have previously worked on the script since development began in 2004. HAIRSPRAY Tony winner Marc Shaiman has also been involved in the project.

THE ARTIST helmer Michel Hazanavicius will now direct, with Tom Cruise in negotiations for the title role.

According to past reports, in BOB THE MUSICAL, after being struck in the head a mild-mannered man wakes up to find his worst nightmare has come true -- his life having become a musical, allowing him to hear the "inner song" of people's hearts.

Chabon's past film work includes SPIDER-MAN 2, JOHN CARTER, and the upcoming 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA and MAGIC KINGDOM. A novelist, his AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001.

Cruise last appeared in EDGE OF TOMORROW and will soon be seen in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION, TOP GUN 2, JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK and MENA. He starred as 'Stacee Jaxx' in the film adaptation of ROCK OF AGES in 2012.