"Big Fish," a musical based on the Daniel Wallace novel and the 2003 Tim Burton film, will have its world premiere in Chicago in 2013, prior to opening on Broadway.
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Big Fish" tells the story of a young man who returns home to see his father, a former traveling salesman on his deathbed with wild tales of his epic adventures.
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Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz will star as both young and old Edward Bloom, roles played in the Tim Burton film by Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney, who received a Golden Globe nomination. The Columbia Pictures film was based on Wallace's 1998 novel, "Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions."
Five-time Tony Award-winning director Susan Stroman will stage the musical, which features a book by the film's screenwriter, John August, and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa.
The musical will have a five-week run at Chicago's Oriental Theatre beginning April 2, 2013. It will likely move to Broadway next fall. Butz is also appearing in Theresa Rebeck's "Dead Accounts" on Broadway, which opens Nov. 3.
Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen are producing.