Courtesy of Variety:

Mamma Mia!” producer Judy Craymer and “American Idol” creator Simon Fuller are prepping a Spice Girls musical, tentatively titled “Viva Forever.”
The musical, initially bound for London’s West End, will be based on the songs and spirit of the all-girl British pop group.

This is not a tribute show,” Craymer told Daily Variety . “It’ll be a mix of fact and fiction, a story of women and friendship. The Spice Girls create a lot of excitement and the show will tap into the essence of them.”

As with the “Mamma Mia!” stage show, which was inspired by Swedish pop group Abba, “Viva Forever” is not expected to feature original members of the Spice Girls.

Fuller, who is the manager of the Spice Girls, approached Craymer with the idea two years ago, during the Spice Girls reunion tour. Talks reignited in October last year when Spice band member Geri Halliwell contacted Craymer.

Hopes are for “Viva” to take a similar path to that of “Mamma Mia!” The stage show was rolled out internationally, seen by more than 42 million people and has taken over $2 billion over the past decade. The musical’s feature film version has grossed $605 million at the worldwide box office.

Judy is a star,” Fuller said. “I’ve been dying to be involved with her for a long time.” He added he’d like to “create something really special for this next decade.”

The show will be produced by Craymers’s Judy Craymer Prods, Fullers new company XIX, the Spice Girls and Universal Music (a joint-venture partner in Judy Craymer Prods.).

Breaking through with their first single, “Wannabe,” in 1996, the Spice Girls went on to sell 75 million records.

Fuller’s TV shows include “American Idol,” “Pop Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance.” Fuller is also an exec producer on the upcoming film “Bel Ami,” starring Robert Pattinson and Uma Thurman.

• Author
• Recent Posts

James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

Latest posts by James Shotwell (see all)

• 2015’s Most Underrated Films - December 29, 2015
• Passing The Torch: The End Of An Era For UTG - December 1, 2015
• UTG PREMIERE: Before The Streetlights – “Private Browser” - November 26, 2015