To purchase the Original Broadway Cast Recording of ROCK OF AGES, click on the image above.

We’ve known for some time that Rock of Ages will become a movie musical under the direction of Adam Shankman, who said the following about the way he wants to cast the film:

“I’m thinking big, and absolutely am going to attempt to cast with movie stars. Now that musicals are working again, actors are much more open to it.”

And we then discovered that Tom Cruise was offered a role in the film! Now we have confirmation that Rock of Ages will be released in 2012. Cruise has been confirmed to play Stacee Jaxx, with Alec Baldwin playing Dennis, Julianne Hough playing Sherrie Christian and Mary J. Blige playing Justice. The musical’s book writer, Chris D’Arienzo has adapted his book for the musical, incorporating revisions by Shankman and Justin Theroux. The film will be a Warner Bros and New Line co-production.

Regular readers of this blog will now I’m not really a fan of the show, so it will come as little surprise that I’m not really a fan of Rock of Ages becoming a film either. It’s a pointless exercise, although one certainly made more attractive by some of the casting ideas. Will I see it? Of course. I hope that Shankman has learned from the mistakes he made making Hairspray, though many of the errors made in that film were in the adaptation of the material rather than with his direction. At least Rock of Ages doesn’t have any kind of pedigree to begin with.

I wonder how the constant breaking of the fourth wall, that is a trademark feature of the show, will be dealt with successfully in the adaptation.

Any other thoughts, dear readers?