Sylvester Stallone working on ‘Rocky’ musical to premiere in Germany

Sylvester Stallone is branching his famous Rocky franchise into the theater. The 1976 Best Picture Oscar winner that spawned five sequels will premiere as a musical in Hamburg, Germany in November 2012.

The BBC reports that Stallone, who directed the last sequel, Rocky Balboa, in 2006, is working with Vladimir and Vitali Klitschko, a pair of boxing brothers, to create the musical. While telling the rags-to-riches story, the musical will use hits from the 1970s that were integral to the original film. Songs like “Eye of the Tiger” and “Gonna Fly Now” were confirmed to take part in the musical.

In a statement, Stallone said that he believed Rocky could always make the transition from drama to musical. He called it a “love story and he could never have reached the final bell without Adrian. To see this story coming to life on a musical stage makes me proud. And it would make Rocky proud,” he said, according to The Guardian.

The musical will not be entirely a ‘70s hit-parade, though. According to The Hollywood Reporter, lyricist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty, who won a Tony for Ragtime, will reunite to write additional material. Thomas Meehan will write the script. Meehan’s credits include translating another beloved film, Mel Brooks’ The Producers, into a successful musical. Alex Timbers has been tapped to direct. The Klitschko brothers will also produce with Stallone, in addition to training a lead actor.