Carole King Broadway musical heading to the big screen

Sony Pictures has announced plans for a film adaptation of the Broadway musical, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” according to the hollywoodreporter.com. Tom Hanks and partner Gary Goetzman will produce through their Playtone banner along with Paul Blake, the lead producer on Broadway.

According to the story, Sony has obtained rights to King’s songbook from Sony/ATV, and King and her songwriting collaborators Gerry Goffin, Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, who are all portrayed in the show. Douglas McGrath, who wrote the book for the musical, is working on the screenplay.

Beautiful, which debuted on Broadway in January 2014, tells the story of composer and performer. Chicagoan Jessie Mueller won a Tony Award for her portrayal of King. No word on whether she will be tapped for the film role.

The North American tour of the show kicks off in the fall, with a Chicago tour stop slated for the Oriental Theatre (24 West Randolph) December 1, 2015 through February 21, 2016. Visit broadwayinchicago.com