Lloyd Webber to revive Cats in London, hints at movie

Singers and dancers perform in Cats during a photo opportunity in Vienna

Andrew Lloyd Webber is about to find out if felines have more than one life — and possibly a cinematic one as well — as he prepares to bring his 1980s hit musical Cats back to London’s West End for a limited run.
The creator of hit musicals including Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar, announced plans this week to revive Cats, his 1981 show based on poet T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, for a 12-week run beginning on December 6.
“I think it’s just a great opportunity for us to get a second edition … with this show I think it would be great just to have a go at it again and give it a bit of a rethink,” he said at a launch event held in a London theater on Monday.
Lloyd Webber said he would also consider bringing back some of his other hits, such as Phantom of the Opera and Starlight Express, and that movie versions were a possibility.
“Yes, I think it’s very possible that I might have a look at one or two of my shows,” Lloyd Webber said.
“And of course, the other thing that’s happening is them being made into movies … There is considerable talk at last about Cats being made into a movie so it gives me a chance to think about the material and how that can happen.”
Lloyd-Webber’s more recent musicals have not enjoyed the success of his earlier efforts. His most recent foray into the West End was Stephen Ward, about the 1961 British politics-and-sex scandal known as The Profumo Affair which arose from a sexual liaison between the then Secretary of War, John Profumo, and aspiring model Christine Keeler.
The production opened in December 2013 but struggled at the box-office and had its final performance at the end of March.

Harrison Ford’s injury delays Star Wars production 

Actor Harrison Ford is recuperating from surgery after breaking his leg, but the injury on the set of Star Wars: Episode VII will force a two-week hiatus in filming, the Walt Disney Studios said. News of the delay comes after Disney initially said filming would continue on schedule while Ford recovered. But shooting is on track to wrap up in the fall, the studio said, and the release date remains December 2015.
“In August, the team will take a brief two-week hiatus while adjustments to the current production schedule are made as actor Harrison Ford recovers from a leg injury,” Disney said in a statement posted on the website StarWars.com.
Ford, 71, was injured on the set of the reboot of George Lucas’ blockbuster Star Wars franchise last month during filming in England. The best actor Oscar-nominee for his role in Witness in 1986 will reprise his role as Han Solo in the film that is being directed by J.J. Abrams. Actress Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill will also reprise their roles in the film and will be joined by Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac.
Disney also announced that two new actors, Briton Pip Andersen and American Crystal Clarke have been roped in. It is the first of three new movies that will continue the saga created by George Lucas, after Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4.05 billion.