Here are two lists. One is of shows that are scheduled to open on Broadway shortly. The other list is of shows that are trying to arrange to open on Broadway in the near future. About 75% of the shows on the second list will probably make it.
There are a number of great movie musicals being adapted for the stage and it's looking like an especially good year for Irving Berlin with a scheduled opening for Holiday Inn and a likely production of Top Hat. Meanwhile, the non-Berlin Singin' in the Rain, which was already turned into a stage musical is being turned into one again. You also have a lot of non-musical movies being turned into stage musicals including Anastasia, Amelie, 17 Again, Mean Girls, Bull Durham, Diner, Magic Mike and King Kong. A musical based on King Kong? Well, why the hell not?
There are also movies being turned into non-musical plays, like To Kill a Mockingbird, Shakespeare in Love and Rear Window.
For younger audiences, there's a SpongeBob SquarePants musical and Disney is adding more songs to Frozen and putting it on stage. Oh — and the West End musical adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (based on the book, not on the Willy Wonka movie) opens next March.
But you notice what movie-turned-into-a-musical isn't on the list? The Jerry Lewis version of The Nutty Professor. Heck, it's been more than a year since Jerry announced its last absolutely, definite opening date on Broadway. I have this odd hunch that the problem isn't that there's no market for it or that no one wants to back it. My hunch is that its producers are waiting for Jerry (age 90) to either leave us or give up on the idea that he can be involved and approve everything.