Disney Acquires Rights for Musical Film of ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’

A new live-action movie musical is on the way from Disney!

Read: Exclusive: Anne Fletcher Replaces Adam Shankman as Director for ‘Hocus Pocus 2’

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Walt Disney Company has just acquired the exclusive rights to a movie version of the successful Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This will come from producers Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich, who previously produced the 2019 live-action Aladdin for Disney.

The original musical has been popular with audiences since its Broadway debut in 2005, winning several Tony Awards including Best Musical. Known for its audience interaction and engagement, the musical follows a group of middle school students who compete in a spelling bee. Through the use of flashbacks, we learn about their backgrounds and personalities.

At this point, it is unknown whether this will be a Disney+ or theatrical release and no director has boarded the project as of yet.

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Josh Sharpe

Josh Sharpe is a writer, singer, and actor. His lifelong passion for film and Disney led him to The DisInsider in 2018. Since then, he has conducted multiple interviews, written exclusive scoops, and discussed Disney history for the site. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @josh_sharpe22

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