“The Greatest Showman,” a hit 2017 film about the circus impresario P.T. Barnum, is being adapted for the stage by Disney Theatrical Group and will have an initial production in early 2026 in Bristol, England.
The project is Disney’s first stage adaptation of a 20th Century Fox film since the Walt Disney Company acquired Fox’s assets in 2019.
The musical has a credentialed creative team. The songs — a combination of those featured in the film and new ones written for the stage — are by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the duo behind “Dear Evan Hansen” who last year became EGOT winners — meaning they have won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards.
The director and choreographer is Casey Nicholaw, a prolific Broadway theatermaker who won Tony Awards for directing “The Book of Mormon” and for choreographing “Some Like It Hot.” Nicholaw has become a favorite Disney collaborator — he also directed and choreographed the long-running “Aladdin” as well as the company’s most recent show, “Hercules,” which will have a West End production in June.
The book is by Tim Federle, best known for television’s “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.”
The film had a starry cast, led by Hugh Jackman; the stage musical does not yet have a cast, and Disney said it would hold open auditions in Britain and Ireland. The show will be staged at the Bristol Hippodrome in the spring of 2026; if all goes well, Disney will then determine whether to transfer it to London, and, eventually, New York.
