Callie Khouri Adapts Thelma & Louise Into Stage Musical Premiering at Young Vic

Callie Khouri, who won an Academy Award for her debut screenplay Thelma & Louise, has adapted the 1991 film into a stage musical now premiering at London's Young Vic theatre, according to an interview published by The Guardian.

Khouri, 68, told the publication she initially resisted the idea of turning the film into a musical when first approached. "My agent said, 'There's a guy who wants to meet you to talk about doing Thelma as a stage musical,'" Khouri said. "And I just thought, 'Well, that's nuts!'"

The original film starred Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, alongside a then little-known Brad Pitt, and became known as a feminist road movie centered on female friendship. Its plot includes an abusive marriage, an attempted rape, a murder and the characters' eventual suicide, elements Khouri acknowledged do not typically align with musical theatre conventions.

According to The Guardian, the musical adaptation has been in development for roughly a decade. Khouri said the project gained momentum after producer Sonia Friedman became involved. The stage production stars Rachel Tucker and Amy Lennox in the title roles.

Khouri, whose later credits include creating the television series Nashville, which ran for six seasons, described her career trajectory as fortunate. "I have a world-class case of beginner's luck," she told The Guardian, adding of the musical: "I hope that this is not the end of that streak. That I don't hit a wall here and slide down it like Wile E Coyote."

The interview, part of a broader conversation about the making of the musical, touched on Khouri's motivations for writing the original screenplay and her views on how circumstances for women have or have not changed since the film's release, according to The Guardian.