Jesus Christ Superstar and Phantom films, arena tours and Cats on Broadway – all the new projects Andrew Lloyd Webber has teased

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s LW Entertainment has outlined a slate of projects in development across stage, screen and publishing, following yesterday’s rebranding news.

According to a follow-up interview piece in Variety, work is reportedly progressing on a new screen version of The Phantom of the Opera, with Lloyd Webber indicating a preference for a significant age gap between the title character and Christine, reflecting his intended father figure and romantic ambiguity. He noted his belief that Gerard Butler was too young for the role in the 2004 film and that he had originally hoped to cast Antonio Banderas.

Additional Phantom-related projects include Our Strange Duet, a young adult novel by Erin A Craig to be published by Penguin Random House, and an anime series led by Justin Leach. An immersive stage production titled Masquerade, directed by Diane Paulus, is currently in previews in New York.

According to the company, “calls for an arena tour” of the recent Hollywood Bowl concert staging of Jesus Christ Superstar, featuring Cynthia Erivo and Adam Lambert, have been acknowledged. The company is also considering a new film adaptation of the musical, which was previously brought to the screen in 1973 by Norman Jewison.

Cats: The Jellicle Ball, a ballroom culture reimagining of the musical, will transfer to Broadway in 2026 following its run at the Perelman Performing Arts Center.

A new stage musical adaptation of the 2006 film The Illusionist, set in Vienna, is also in the works, with plans for a London opening in 2027. Although a Broadway run was originally considered, Lloyd Webber has said  to Variety that the show is now searching for a director, and that rising costs and the loss of a tax credit scheme may prevent a transfer.