Deadline is reporting that Stephen Schwartz is developing an untitled original musical fantasy about Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The project marks the first original musical from the composter/lyricist since Wicked and follows Andersen as a young man as he gets trapped in a world of his own imagination and searches for a way back to reality, when he comes face-to-face with characters from his own fairy tales. Ansel Elgort is in talks to to star in the movie. David Magee (Life of Pi , Mary Poppind Returns) is writing the screenplay. Schwartz is also producing the project with Craig Zadan & Neil Meron (Chicago, Hairspray, The Bucket List). No word yet on a director and production start date.
Schwartz who has contributed original songs to such films as The Prince of Egypt and Pocahontas is also involved in the upcoming movie adaptation of Wicked and is also developing the ABC musical drama Harmony.
