Pink Floyd The Wall Theatrical production coming to Broadway, NYC

Press Release Source: Miramax Films
 
Award-Winning Studio Miramax Films Teams With Musical Pioneer & Entrepreneur Thomas D. Mottola to Bring The Wall to Broadway
 
Thursday August 5, 2004 7:45 am ET
 
The Wall to Be Developed and Produced by Harvey Weinstein, Thomas D. Mottola and Roger Waters

NEW YORK, Aug. 5 -- In what stands to bring one of film and Broadway's leading producers together with one of music's most influential pioneers, Miramax Films and Thomas D. Mottola today announced that they have acquired the rights to develop and produce a Broadway musical based on Pink Floyd's seminal rock album, The Wall, one of the best selling and most renowned records of all time.

Initiated by Mottola, Miramax joined in to acquire the rights from Roger Waters, who conceived and created the work. For The Wall, Waters will write the book and will also arrange and orchestrate his music for the stage production.

Since its release in 1979, The Wall has sold over 23 million copies and is currently the 3rd best selling album of all time. The inspired performances of The Wall in 1980-1981, which were written and directed by Roger Waters, have become collectively known as the most legendary shows ever.

"I am thrilled to be involved with bringing The Wall to Broadway and to give new generations the opportunity to see this legendary show," said Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of Miramax Films. "I am also delighted to be working with music geniuses Tommy Mottola and Roger Waters, who are sure to make the music rock again."

"There are few projects as timeless as The Wall," stated Mr. Mottola. "Even after two decades since its first release, The Wall continues to break through every generational, socioeconomic and political boundary. When I first thought of bringing this event to Broadway, I knew I could not do it without the visionary talents of Roger Waters and of course, my dear friend Harvey Weinstein and the wealth of experience of his Miramax team."

"Great! Now I can write in some laughs, notable by their absence in the Movie," said Roger Waters.

Harvey Weinstein, Timothy Schmidt, Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs, and Heidi Herman, Director of Creative Affairs will oversee the production on behalf of Miramax.

Charles Layton and Timothy Schmidt negotiated the agreement on behalf of Miramax. Larry Shire and Gil Karson negotiated on behalf of Thomas D. Mottola. John Breglio, Mark Fenwick and Tony Russell negotiated for Roger Waters.

ABOUT ROGER WATERS

As the primary driving force behind Pink Floyd and acclaimed solo artist in his own right, Waters has created a body of work that has both mirrored and steered the collective unconsciousness. From the early days of Pink Floyd (when the group pioneered the use of multi-media in their live performances and had the press coining terms like "underground rock" and "psychedelic music" to describe the experience) to the colossal $8m staging of "The Wall" in a newly-united Berlin in 1990, Roger Waters has experienced the full trajectory of fame, from the giddy thrill of musical invention and the harrowing isolation of mega-stardom to the quiet satisfaction of pursuing his own authentic aesthetic goals.

In March 1973, with Waters essentially helming the enterprise came "The Dark Side Of The Moon," which soared to #1 on the charts and remained on the Billboard 200-album chart for a staggering 741 weeks (just shy of 15 years!). (When Billboard's "catalog rule" was enacted, TDSOTM, no longer eligible for the 200 list, entered the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart where it may still be found. In all, "The Dark Side Of The Moon" has spent more than 1,154 weeks combined on the two charts and holds Billboard's all-time record for most weeks charted.)

The band released "Wish You Were Here" in 1975, "Animals" in 1977 and, in November 1979, Roger Waters dropped "The Wall" on the world. "The Wall" spent more than two years on the charts, inspired a film, and generated one of the most elaborate stage shows in rock history. After "The Wall," came "The Final Cut," which Waters dedicated to his father.

Waters' first full-length solo album, "The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking," was released in 1984 to great critical and popular success followed in 1987 by "Radio K.A.O.S." On July 21, 1990. Roger Waters, who'd once remarked he'd never perform "The Wall" again as long as the Berlin Wall remained standing, mounted the largest production in rock history at the Potzdamer Platz in the newly liberated Berlin. This historic concert was a fund-raising event for the World Memorial Fund for Disaster Relief.

In August 1992, Water's released the moody and ironic "Amused to Death," considered by many to be a comparable achievement to "The Dark Side Of The Moon" or "The Wall." In 1993, he appeared with Don Henley, John Fogarty, and Neil Young at a benefit concert for Walden Woods.

In July and August 1999, Waters began his first tour in 12 years; The Roger Waters "In The Flesh" tour. It was so successful that he returned for a second leg in June and July 2000, and the concerts served as the basis for the two-CD set "In the Flesh, Live."

Of his major works, two -- "The Wall" and "The Dark Side Of The Moon" -- stand as undeniable musical monuments of their age, they define and immortalize the psyche of the 20th century while intimating the potential dangers and beauty of the 21st.

ABOUT MIRAMAX

Miramax Films, founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 1979, has released some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful independent feature films of the past decade, including fourteen Best Picture nominations over a span of the past twelve years: Chicago, Gangs of New York, The Hours, In the Bedroom, Chocolat, The Cider House Rules, Shakespeare In Love, Life Is Beautiful (La Vita E Bella), Good Will Hunting, The English Patient, Il Postino (The Postman), Pulp Fiction, The Piano and The Crying Game. The outstanding quality of Miramax's films is represented in the company's success in the annual Academy Awards race. In its history, Miramax has received 229 Academy Award nominations and has won 54 Academy Awards.

Miramax's commitment to cinema from around the world is evident in its history of releases. Miramax has received 23 Best Foreign Language Film nominations over the past 16 years. Some of the nominated films, among other foreign releases, include: The Barbarian Invasions (Canada), Twin Sisters, Hero (China), Amelie (France) Taste of Others (France), Everybody Famous (Belgium), Life is Beautiful (Italy), Children of Heaven (Iran), Four Days in September (Brazil), Beyond Silence (Germany), Kolya (Czech Republic), Ridicule (France), The Star Maker (Italy), Strawberry and Chocolate (Cuba/Mexico), Farewell My Concubine (China/Hong Kong), Mediterraneo (Italy), Ju Dou (China/Japan), The Nasty Girl (Germany), Cinema Paradiso (Italy), Pelle the Conqueror (Denmark/Sweden), Like Water for Chocolate (Mexico), French Twist (France), Red (France), White (Poland) and Blue (Switzerland), among many, many others.

In 2002, Harvey and Bob were awarded the highest accolade of the British Film Institute (bfi) when they are presented with a bfi Fellowship for their outstanding contribution to cinema.

Tony Award winning producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein made their first entrance into Broadway as producers of The Real Thing, which went on to win the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. The Weinsteins have produced several other shows on Broadway, in the West End and national and international tours, including The Producers, winner of a precedent-setting 12 Tony Awards, Sam Mendes' acclaimed revival of Gypsy starring Bernadette Peters, and the hit London production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Currently, Harvey Weinstein is a producer of the highly anticipated musicals All Shook Up, inspired by and featuring the songs of Elvis Presley, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, based on the Michael Caine, Steve Martin film, which are both set to open on Broadway in the spring of 2005.

Bob and Harvey Weinstein's love of the Broadway musical was transferred to the screen with the Academy Award winning film Chicago. Miramax is currently developing other high-profile musical properties for the screen, including Pippin and Damn Yankees.

ABOUT THOMAS D. MOTTOLA

As one of the most highly regarded and influential executives in the worldwide entertainment business, Mr. Mottola is founder of The Mottola Company, a multi-faceted management and production firm. He also serves as President of Casablanca Records, a label he started in 2003 with partner Universal Music Group, the world's largest music company. Formerly, he served as Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment for 15 years, during which time he transformed Sony into one of the most successful global music companies in history, expanding its businesses in over 60 countries, while creating one of the strongest management teams in the industry. Along the way, he developed and nurtured many of contemporary music's top icons then any single individual in the industry such as, Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Gloria Estefan and Aerosmith, to Destiny's Child, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Nas, the Dixie Chicks, Shakira and Marc Anthony, among many others.

A renowned trendsetter, Mr. Mottola has also been at the forefront of driving popular culture, creating a number of highly successful strategic co- branding initiatives, including superstar Celine Dion's marketing partnership with Chrysler and an unprecedented and multifaceted global marketing campaign with Pepsi. Moreover, he revitalized Sony Music's publishing division by securing the much sought after acquisition of Sony Tree and enabled Sony to become the first major music company to make available commercial digital downloads.

Currently, Mr. Mottola has enjoyed multi-platinum and chart-topping success with such management clients as R&B sensation Usher and Latin music superstar Marc Anthony. He has branched out into television production with leading music channel VH-1 to produce the acclaimed reality series Born to Diva, and is in discussions to launch a daytime talk show for client and leading fashion designer Vera Wang. Recently, he beat out the major labels to sign teen sensation Lindsay Lohan to her first recording contract with Casablanca, and has helped Latin superstar Thalia (his wife) branch out into a successful clothing line with Kmart and into the lucrative sweets market with Hershey's.

Known also for his many philanthropic activities, Mr. Mottola serves on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Police Athletic League, T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, Leukemia and AIDS Research, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation and Museum, and the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation.