Elsie Fisher, break-out star of the indie movie Eighth Grade, will be starring in director Ken Kwapis’ (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, A Walk in the Woods) musical The Shaggs, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The Shaggs, written by Joy Gregory (Madam Secretary, Switched at Birth), is based on the real-life story of the Wiggin sisters, three musically inept teenagers from New Hampshire who in 1968 recorded one of the most infamous rock-and-roll albums of all time, Philosophy of the World.
After reading an article by Susan Orlean for the New Yorker in 1999 about the three sisters, Gregory previously developed the story into an off-Broadway stage musical with music by Gunnar Madsen and directed by John Langs.
The Shaggs will be produced by Alex Beattie under her and Kwapis’ In Cahoots banner. Grammy-nominated music supervisor Howard Paar will also produce alongside Seth Caplan of FYFM Creations, who is co-financing the feature. Executive producers include Orlean, Harris Fishman, and Gary Nelson.
Fisher’s previous credits include The Axe Murders of Villisca, McFarland, USA, and voicing the character of Agnes in Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2. Fisher will next be lending her voice to the character of Parker Needler in the animated version of The Addams Family, releasing in October 2019.
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
