Camerone Crowe is turning Almost Famous into a musical

Cameron Crowe arguably peaked with his 2000 semi-autobiographical Almost Famous, the story of a teenaged writer who tricks Rolling Stone into letting him profile a rising rock act on the road. His work’s been spotty since he scored an Oscar for the film’s screenplay, with projects like Aloha, Elizabethtown, and the forgettable Roadies dampening his otherwise solid oeuvre. It makes sense, then, that he’d return to the project that clearly piqued his inspiration, and that’s just what he’s been doing the last few years with his work on an Almost Famous musical.

Rolling Stone reports that Crowe has been teaming with composer Tom Kitt (American Idiot, Next To Normal) on the project, with Crowe penning the book and co-writing the lyrics alongside Kitt. A video posted to Crowe’s Twitter account finds Kitt playing the piano as the camera pans over a number of notes. Among the scribbles is “The Wind,” a reference to the Cat Stevens track to which Kate Hudson’s Penny Lane dances in the film. “Stillwater sound check” can also be spotted, as well as notes regarding the movie’s infamous poker game and a speech given by Dennis Hope, the character played by Jimmy Fallon.