The Last Unicorn Live-Action Movie, Stage Musical With Fergie Reportedly In the Works

A live-action version of the beloved fantasy novel The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle is reportedly in the works as is a stage musical with singer/songwriter Fergie. The report comes from the FAQ page on the Beagleverse website (via CBR), and few details are available. Beagleverse is a recently formed entertainment company founded by Lauren Sands and Michael Heard in partnership with Beagle. The only information on the live-action adaptation and stage musical is that “both are in the works. Stage musical with Fergie. Live action adaptation produced by Beagleverse”. There has been no other official confirmations or announcements about either project, though Playbill reported in 2014 that Fergie along with then-husband Josh Duhamel were working on an adaptation. 

First published in 1968, The Last Unicorn is a fantasy classic that tells the story of a unicorn who believes that she is last of her kind in the world and, thus, undertakes a quest to find out what happened to the others. The beloved book was adapted into an animated film produced by Rankin-Bass Productions in 1982 with a screenplay written by Beagle. That film featured the voices of Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, and Christopher Lee and has become a cult classic, though it wasn’t an especially commercially successful film when originally released. The story has also had two previous stage adaptations, one presented by the Intiman Playhouse in Seattle in partnership with the Pacific Northwest Ballet in 1988—Beagle wrote the script for that adaptation. The second stage adaptation was in 2009 and was presented in Chicago by Promethean Theatre Ensemble.

A live-action adaption of the film has been discussed before and in 2006, Continent Films unveiled a website for the then in-development project, but nothing really ever came from the project, possibly due to legal issues surrounding rights to The Last Unicorn. Beagle sued his former manager in 2015, alleging elder abuse and fraud. Beagle ultimately won and as of March of 2021 regained creative control over The Last Unicorn and all project based on his current works and anything he writes in the future. The Beagleverse website links to the actual ruling and notes that while there are still some websites operating under the control of Beagle’s former manager, the Beagleverse site is the “best source for all things Peter S. Beagle.”

Are you interested in a live-action adaptation of The Last Unicorn? What do you think about a stage musical? Let us know in the comments.