miss saigon movie adaptation in the works

Oh, blech. They're making a Miss Saigon movie. According to Variety, former United Artists studio head Paula Wagner is putting together a screen version of the hit Broadway musical, to be helmed by Precious director Lee Daniels: Wagner heads to 'Saigon' with Daniels.

I suppose it was inevitable. While movie adaptations of big musicals are tough to pull off, they're definitely making a comeback. But there's always been a bit of bad blood between Asian Americans and this musical, and I really don't want see it.

A contemporary adaptation of Puccini's Madame Butterfly opera, Miss Saigon is the tragic love story of a Vietnamese bar girl and an American soldier before the fall of Saigon in 1975. The musical, which opened on the West End in 1989 and played on Broadway for nearly 10 years, has been performed in 25 countries.

A screenwriter is reportedly about to be hired, and financing discussions are under way with hopes of getting the film into production next year for a 2011 release.