A major new musical based on Stephen Merchant’s cult British wrestling film Fighting With My Family is in development.
Produced by Tilted Musicals in collaboration with Seven Bucks Productions, Stephen Merchant, Kevin Misher and Birmingham Hippodrome, the musical will feature book and lyrics by Olivier Award-winning playwright Jon Brittain (Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder!) with a new soundtrack by Brit Award-winning songwriter Miranda Cooper (music and lyrics) and Ivor Novello nominee Nick Coler (music).
Commenting on the next incarnation of the true story of WWE superstar Paige, Stephen Merchant said: “When we were making the film, I always thought of it like a musical: a young woman from the ‘chorus line’ fighting to get her big break, surrounded by theatrical, larger-than-life characters and huge sweeping emotions. I approached each wrestling match like it was a different dance number, building to a big show-stopping finale. Seeing the film reimagined for the stage feels like the natural next step. The team have captured the humour, grit and heart of the story in a way that feels both faithful to the film and completely fresh.”
Wrestling superstar turned movie action hero, Dwayne Johnson said: “Fighting With My Family feels exceptionally well suited for the stage. It’s packed with personal emotion expressed through the dynamic world of wrestling, which has always been about storytelling and connecting with a live audience. Working with Stephen Merchant on the film was a truly special experience, and his brilliant work deserves this new act. As it comes to life musically, I have no doubt it will be an absolute blast for theatregoers.”
Johnson’s partner in multi-platform company Seven Bucks Productions, Dany Garcia added: “From the very beginning, Fighting With My Family has been about heart, grit and the unexpected humour life throws at you along the way – the kind of journey that shapes who we become. At Seven Bucks, we’re always building stories that connect on a deeply human level, and this one was made for a live audience. With Jon, Miranda and Nick involved, we know this musical will not only honour the film but expand the universe of this story in a way that feels both authentic and alive.”
Tilted Musicals’ co-founders Cooper and UK producer/director Sam Hodges said: “What we love most about this story is, at its heart, it’s about family – and all the wonderful, messy, contradictory dynamics that exist in every family. It follows in the footsteps of superb British indies like The Full Monty, Billy Elliot and Everybody’s Talking about Jamie, all of which have made terrific stage musicals. But also, wrestling is pure theatre. It’s as much about storytelling as it is fighting, it’s funny as well as fierce, and more than anything else, it’s about the art of winning a crowd over – the first rule of performance. For all those reasons, it felt like a perfect start for the first of our Tilted Musicals projects to be announced.”
The musical’s development process will include closed workshops this year followed by a public presentation in 2027.
Written and directed by Merchant, Fighting With My Family premiered in January 2019 at the Sundance Film Festival before being released worldwide in February of the same year. The film follows the extraordinary true story of WWE superstar Paige (Saraya Knight) played on screen by Florence Pugh. Vince Vaughn played the WWE trainer while Johnson featured on-screen as himself and also served as producer on the film with Garcia for Seven Bucks Productions.
Angela Thomas
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