A TV version of Kinky Boots is in the works, Digital Spy can reveal.
Scripts are being written and producers are in talks with a number of channels.
The project is being masterminded by writer and actor Ryan Sampson, who created award-winning TV hit Mr Bigstuff.
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Ryan told Digital Spy: “We are working on a Kinky Boots TV series. I’m writing it at the moment. As far as whether I’d star in it, we’ll see how it goes. I’m pitching it to different channels at the moment.”
Ryan wants to make the series because he is a massive fan of the movie, which was released two decades ago.
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He said: “I love the movie. It’s great. It’s really good. It has really stuck with me since I saw it. With a TV series, you could go into more depth with the story.”
Since the film hit cinemas in 2005, it has become a cult classic with fans around the world. It starred Chiwetel Ejiofor.
It was turned into a stage musical in 2012 and had a run in Chicago before heading to Broadway and the West End. It has since been staged in Canada and Australia as well.
A new production of the show is currently running at the London Coliseum, which is the biggest theatre in the West End. It stars Matt Cardle and Johannes Radebe.
Directed by Julian Jarrold and written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, the original movie is based on real events, with the filmmakers drawing their initial inspiration from 1999 BBC documentary Trouble at the Top: The Kinky Boot Factory.
It tells the true story of Steve Pateman, who took over from his father as boss of a Northamptonshire traditional shoe factory. Amid struggles with changes in fashion and competition, a phone call from business owner Sue Sheppard led to an expansion in women's shoes for larger sizes for trans people.
The eventual film adaptation of the story saw Ejiofor earn a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as Lola.
As anyone who watched Kinky Boots on stage will know, there isn’t a bit of you that looks forward to stepping out of the glamorous world propped up by six-inch heels and whopping belters that steal your breath and ignite your soul.
When the curtains close, that sense of euphoria quickly drains away as you are forced to mentally slip back into the pumps you trekked to the theatre in. It’s understandable then that the idea of turning the stage phenomenon into a TV series feels like a lavish and indulgent treat. It's a chance to extend the magic of the show and to keep Charlie, Lola and the gang with you a beat longer, but we hesitate to celebrate this news so quickly.
The story of Kinky Boots, with its intimate and grounded emotional stakes and vibrant and pulsating soundtrack, fills the 2 hours and 20 minute runtime perfectly. To then transport it to the world of TV would take some crafting. As it stands, there isn’t enough story to fit a series format without adding to what is already a fine-tuned work of art.
This gorgeous masterpiece is a risk of falling victim to bloating, with subpar backstories added to fill in the gaps in ways that don’t truly add quality. Ask yourself this: did you leave the theatre with a niggling feeling that a story beat was left untold? If not, it’s probably because there isn’t much left to explore in such depth.
We hope this is not the case, with a franchise like we are desperate to be proven wrong.
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
