‘School of Rock’ musical opening on Broadway in 2015

Richard Linklater’s 2003 crowd pleaser “School of Rock” will become a Broadway musical when the world-premiere production opens at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York on Dec. 6, 2015, producers announced on Thursday.

The very American story of a struggling rock musician who becomes a substitute school teacher boasts a classy British pedigree in the forms of Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose company is producing and who is writing some new music to supplement the rock songs imported from the movie, as well as Julian Fellowes, the creator of “Downton Abbey,” who is adapting Mike White’s screenplay for the stage.

“School of Rock -- The Musical” is scheduled to begin preview performances on Nov. 2. Lloyd Webber has been the show’s prime creative force through his company The Really Useful Group. Other producers include Warner Music Group & Access Industries, The Shubert Organization and The Nederlander Organization.

The production will be directed by Laurence Connor, who worked with Lloyd Webber on the recent touring revival of “The Phantom of the Opera.”

No casting has been announced for the show. In the movie, actor Jack Black played Dewey Finn, an underachieving rock musician who takes a job as a substitute teacher in a stuffy prep school. He eventually bonds with the kids in his class, and together, they form a rock band.

The Paramount movie received critical praise when it opened more than a decade ago, and became a modest box-office success, later developing a cult following.

“School of Rock” represents Lloyd Webber’s latest bid to land a hit following a series of stage flops. His sequel to “Phantom” was a critical and commercial disappointment in London, though it later found some success in Australia. His latest musical, “Stephen Ward,” which opened on the West End in 2013, closed after just four months.

Earlier this year, Nickelodeon announced a live-action “School of Rock” TV series. The new series is expected to begin airing in 2015.

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT