SIR Elton John is working on bringing GEORGE ORWELL's classic novella ANIMAL FARM to the West End stage in a new musical.
The Rocket Man has teamed up with the writer behind his previous stage hit Billy Elliot to put together a new adaptation of the famous book, about creatures who seize control of a farm from their human masters.
Lee Hall, who won an Oscar nomination for his work on the Billy Elliot movie, reveals the musical has been in the planning stage for two years, but they nearly abandoned the project after experiencing problems obtaining the rights to the story.
He tells Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, "I'm deep into it, writing songs for pigs and other four-legged friends. It's taken about two years. We almost gave up, but there was always that one last licence to go after."
And Hall admits there's still plenty of work to do before the production hits the London stage. He adds, "Having worked with him (John) on Billy Elliot, I know that Elton likes to have the lyrics done and in front of him so I'll work on a batch before I give him anything to look at.
"I would think it's going to take around two years before it's all ready to go."