Eurovision Broadway musical in the works from Will Ferrell and Harper Steele
Will Ferrell with friend and ‘Will & Harper’ co-star Harper Steele. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty)
Will Ferrell with friend and 'Will & Harper' co-star Harper Steele. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty)
The Eurovision Song Contest may be over for another year, but the 2020 film, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, is being turned into a Broadway musical, courtesy of Will Ferrell.
Saturday Night Live legend Ferrell wrote the musical comedy film, in which he starred alongside Mean Girls‘ Rachel McAdams. The pair play down-on-their-luck Icelandic singing duo, Fire Saga – Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir – who compete in the contest.
The news of the musical was announced on Wednesday (4 June), with Ferrell set to write the book along with his friend Harper Steele.
The pair, who wrote the film, more recently appeared together in the hit Netflix documentary Will & Harper, which followed the two on a road trip after Steele came out to Ferrell as a trans woman.
Anthony King will also help write the musical with music coming from Savan Kotecha and Alex Timbers directing.
“We are more than excited to bring Eurovision to Broadway,” said Ferrell in a statement, as reported by Variety. “The stage musical is a perfect place to continue our celebration of all the things we love about this amazing and unifying song competition.”
Timbers added: “Will Ferrell and Harper Steele are my comedy heroes, and when I first saw their joyful movie Eurovision during the pandemic, it buoyed spirits during a very dark time.
“With this stage adaptation, I can’t wait to bring that same mix of heart, spectacle, irreverence, and awe to audiences across the world.”
All of this is being done in collaboration with the official Eurovision Song Contest. Martin Green CBE, the competition’s director, said: “This is a stellar team for what I am sure will be an equally stellar adaption of a film the world loved. Our aim always is to bring the joy of the Eurovision Song Contest to more people globally – especially as we approach our 70th edition in 2026.”
The film featured several original songs such as ‘Husavik’ and ‘Double Trouble’, though a stage adaptation opens the door for a great many more original pieces.
Upon its release in 2020, when the usual Eurovision was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the film was met with a mixed response.
The Guardian called it “a strange, tonally misfiring movie,” while The Independent said it was “exactly as silly and outlandish as it needs to be.” Meanwhile, the BBC blasted the film as “misjudged and tedious.”
The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest is set to take place in Vienna, Austria after JJ’s win in May.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is streaming on Netflix now.
