Florence Pugh’s wrestling film is set to head to the West End as a new musical

Point to any film that had a good run and you’ll probably see some news about a spin off, reboot, or West End adaptation heading your way soon. First it was Mean Girls, then it was Paddington – even The Traitors is getting in on the action. Now, Stephen Merchant’s unlikely smash hit Fighting with my Family is set to get the West End treatment.

The 2019 film, starring Florence Pugh and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is being adapted as a stage musical, following the true story of the British pro wrestler Saraya Knight, as she built her career from humble beginnings to the legendary WWE.

The film was based on the Channel 4 documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting With My Family from 2012 which followed the Knight family who are all professional wrestlers. The film adaptation saw her father Ricky, “Rowdy” Knight played by Nick Frost, her mother Julia played by Lena Headey, and her brother Zac played by Jack Lowden.

Now, the new stage adaptation is being produced by Tilted Musicals, run by Girls Aloud songwriter Miranda Cooper and producer Sam Hodges. The musical itself is written and adapted by Jon Brittain with a soundtrack by Miranda Cooper and Nick Coler who have previously teamed up to write songs for Sugarbabes, Kylie Minogue, Girls Aloud, and the Pet Shop Boys.

Speaking to the BBC, Cooper explained that the songs will "go beyond the pub-rock guitar" sound associated with wrestling” and they’ll be leaning into more eclectic sounds. Currently, they’re looking at “referencing Britpop, because they are a quintessentially British family", with the writing team looking at everything "from Chemical Brothers to Propellerheads, drum and bass, all British sounds.”

"We want a soundtrack that reflects all these multi-faceted characters that are unique and extraordinary” she added.

Merchant explained that: "When we were making the film, I always thought of it like a musical: a young woman from the 'chorus line' fighting to get her big break, surrounded by theatrical, larger-than-life characters and huge sweeping emotions.

"I approached each wrestling match like it was a different dance number, building to a big show-stopping finale. Seeing the film reimagined for the stage feels like the natural next step."

In a statement, Johnson said he had "no doubt it will be an absolute blast for theatergoers".

He added that the story is "packed with personal emotion expressed through the dynamic world of wrestling, which has always been about storytelling and connecting with a live audience".

The musical is still in the works with a projected release of late 2027. No casting has been announced yet (unsurprisingly) so you if you wanted to hope for some kind of Pugh / Frost / Merchant cameo, it could still happen…

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