The Nederlander Organization said in a statement that it had acquired the rights to produce a musical based on the Michael Jackson album “Thriller” and its groundbreaking video, above, in which the King of Pop transforms into a werewolf while he’s out a date.
Rumors of the project first surfaced last fall on New York gossip pages. Since the Nederlander Organization controls Broadway in Chicago, that would suggest such a project would start out in Chicago.

"The Nederlanders and Michael Jackson represent live theater and musical excellence, so let the music begin," Tohme Tohme, a spokesman for Jackson, said Monday in a statement.

Broadway has already turned the music of the Four Seasons and the “Who’s Tommy” into musical productions and somehow recruited U2 to record music for a “Spider-Man” show. Therefore the prospect of Jackson on the Great White Way isn’t that ridiculous if you come to think of it.

The Moonwalker plans to oversee "every aspect of the creative process," and will provide songs from “Thriller” (including the title cut, "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and "P.Y.T.") as well as tracks from his 1979 multi-platinum solo smash, “Off the Wall,” which featured "Rock With You," "Don't Stop Till’ You Get Enough" and "She's Out of My Life."

Moreover the show will recreate the tale of the 14-minute horror film based on the title song of the world's biggest selling album. The show will include songs from two of the pop king's best-selling albums, "Thriller" and "Off the Wall."

Jackson's 1982 "Thriller" album is the world's biggest selling album. The "Thriller" video, featuring dancing zombies and horror film star Vincent Price, was first aired in 1983 and became a staple of MTV. It was directed by filmmaker John Landis, who said it cost $500,000, that’s about 10 times the cost of the standard music video of the time.

"I love the idea of making Thriller a musical. Girl meets boy, they fall in love, boy has big secret, now what?" said Producer James L. Nederlander, head of the company that owns nine Broadway theaters. The group did not say where or when the show might open, or who is expected to write it or star in it. Michael Jackson himself will also reportedly be a part of the creation of the musical in some capacity.

“Thriller” cemented Jackson as one of the predominant pop stars of the late 20th century, and enabled him to break down racial barriers via his appearances on MTV and meetings with President Ronald Reagan at the White House. The album was the first to use music videos as successful promotional tools—the videos for “Thriller”, "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" all received regular rotation on MTV.