Jim Hill Media is reporting that Beyoncé Knowles is in talks with Walt Disney Studios to make a movie adaptation of Aida.
Aida is a musical drama in two acts based on Giuseppe Verdi’s Italian-language opera by the same name, which is in turn based on a story by Auguste Mariette. The musical was produced by Hyperion Theatricals, a unit within Disney Theatrical, with music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang.
“The Mouse is reportedly already in talks with this pop diva, trying to convince Ms. Knowles to make ‘Aida’ her follow-up project to ‘Dreamgirls,'” says the site, adding, “Starring in the movie version of this Tony Award-winning musical should be a no-brainer for Beyoncé. Particularly since the show’s title role has proven to be such an effective showcase for chart toppers like Toni Braxton and Ms. Knowles’ fellow ‘Destiny’s Child’ survivor, Michelle T. Williams.”
In the story, a Nubian princess is captured by an Egyptian captain, Radames. He soon falls in love with her and saves her from a life of hard labor and instead gives her as a handmaiden to the Egyptian princess Amneris, his future bride. Set against a backdrop of loyalty, betrayal, and forbidden love, Aida is the story of three people who are forced to make difficult choices that will alter history forever.
