Paul McCartney writing a musical for ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’

18-time Grammy award winner, Paul McCartney has collaborated with Britain’s Lee Hall, the screenwriter of Billy Elliot and the Elton John biopic Rocketman, for an upcoming musical. British theater and film producer Bill Kenwright, who secured the rights, will produce the show. The musical is scheduled to launch later next year.

Now in its final phase, the songs are for the stage adaptation of the beloved 1946 Hollywood Christmas film, It’s a Wonderful Life, directed by Frank Capra, which stars Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed among others.

“Writing a musical is not something that had ever really appealed to me but Bill and I met up with Lee Hall and had a chat and I found myself thinking this could be interesting and fun,” McCartney said in a statement. “It’s A Wonderful Life is a universal story we can all relate to.”

Since the Beatles broke up in 1970, McCartney has released more than 25 studio albums, including five of original classical music.