Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | News | October 8, 2025
Did you know Patrick Wilson, star of the Conjuring films, can sing his ass off? The dude has an incredible voice. I had first heard it via clips of him doing an insanely good Freddie Mercury impression, and was gobsmacked by how well he could handle those notes. The dude has an extensive theater background, which includes roles on Broadway and Off-Broadway. Just listen to this man.
Right?! Holy cow! It's not just that he can sing; look at him perform at the same time. He's connecting to the music in a way that is required of a good musical performance. He's hitting the notes while telling us a story and taking us on a journey. His voice makes me swoon, dagnabbit. So, I can feel pretty confident that he knows musical theater. I can trust his judgment, and I need to, because his next endeavor feels almost ill-advised.
Wilson is producing a musical adaptation of The Lost Boys. I know! The '80s Joel Schumacher vampire flick is my favorite horror movie of all time. Its music, style, and actors make it feel like a perfect time capsule for 1987. There are plenty of scares, but also lots of laughter. I love it. It's my frigging happy place, and turning it into a musical sounds like an insane idea.
Again, part of what makes the movie work is that it perfectly captures the time when it was made. That's why, I believe, so many reboots have exploded in the sun. You can't make it a period piece, or try to make it modern but call back to a different time; a new iteration would have to exist in the present. You'd have to get big, up-and-coming stars to appear in it, and then load the soundtrack with the hottest current acts.
That said, those would be requirements of a film remake or TV adaptation (both of which have come and gone in recent years). A stage musical adaptation? That sounds strictly questionable! When I first heard the news, I assumed it would be a jukebox musical, which I hate, but at least I'd get to yell Cry Little Sister in a Broadway theater. Instead, the show will feature original music from The Rescues, which sounds pretty interesting!
But that's not all! The show will have a book co-written by Rickety Cricket himself, David Hornsby, and writer Chris Hoch. It will also be directed by Michael Arden, who is incredible. I saw a production of Parade that he directed a couple of years ago, and it was unbelievably, jaw-droppingly good. Add that together with Wilson as a producer, and I'm starting to get my hopes up about this production!
The new musical announced its cast and opening date (April 26th, 2026) today, and it got me even more hyped. I'm not familiar with everybody, but Paul Alexander Nolan will be playing Max (the head vampire). I first saw him play Jesus in a Jesus Christ Superstar revival back in 2012 and have been marveling at his performances ever since. I'm not very familiar with the rest of the cast, but it features a host of young, diverse faces, so that's good!
This could still be a losing endeavor. It certainly wouldn't be the first time I've gotten excited about something only to be left disappointed. But I will certainly keep an open mind. I'll be ready to have a good time. While I may not have braved all of the Conjuring movies simply because Patrick Wilson was involved, this feels different. The man knows musical theater, and if he's putting his weight behind this, he must think it's good. That's good enough for me.
