A Black Swan Musical Could Take Flight: Were Working on It, Says Darren Aronofs

October 27, 2024

Natalie Portman won the Oscar for best actress thanks to her role as Nina Sayers in “Black Swan.” Might the character earn another actor a Tony Award some day? It might if filmmaker Darren Aronofsky sees through with his plan to bring “Black Swan” to the stage as a Broadway musical. The director, who has been making the press rounds in support of his latest directorial effort “The Whale,” confirmed to AV Club that he’s currently working on adapting his 2010 psychological thriller into a musical.

“We’re trying to do the ‘Black Swan’ musical,” Aronofsky said. “We’ll see what happens. But we’re working on it.”

Aronofsky added that he’s always wanted to work on a musical, be it on the stage or on film. When asked about plans for a movie musical, the director responded, “I would love to [do one] and I’ve talked to many people about it. And I’ve come close to a few ideas. It’s a very tricky thing because music from musicals is not popular music anymore. So what do you do?”

“I think ‘Hamilton’ was brilliant because Lin-Manuel Miranda fused hip-hop with musical music,” the director continued. “And so he had this breakthrough that was really brilliant. But figuring that angle of it, of what the music would be, where it comes from, is the big challenge. But I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it. And hopefully one day I could figure something out.”

“Black Swan” grossed $329 million worldwide for Fox Searchlight in 2010 and earned five Oscar nominations, including best picture and best director for Aronofsky. Portman won the best actress prize, her first and only Oscar win to date. The film remains one of Aronofsky’s most critically-acclaimed directorial efforts.

“A wicked, sexy and ultimately devastating study of a young dancer’s all-consuming ambition, ‘Black Swan’ serves as a fascinating complement to Aronofsky’s ‘The Wrestler,’ trading the grungy world of a broken-down fighter for the more upscale but no less brutal sphere of professional ballet,” wrote Variety film critic Peter Debruge in his review. “Centerstage stands Natalie Portman, whose courageous turn lays bare the myriad insecurities genuinely dedicated performers face when testing their limits.”

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