Slumdog Millionaire Is Being Developed into a New Stage Musical Featuring 'Jai Ho' and Other Songs by A.R. Rahman

A Slumdog Millionaire musical is in the works!

Tony-award-winning producer Ken Davenport has secured the rights to develop a theatrical adaptation of the Academy Award-winning 2008 film, which follows a teenager who grew up struggling to survive on the streets of Mumbai before becoming a contestant on India’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

The upcoming musical will feature songs from the film including “Jai Ho,” as well as new tracks by Indian film industry icon A.R. Rahman, who won two Oscars for his work on the critically acclaimed flick.

Teasing some "unexpected twists," Rahman said of working on the project, per a press release obtained by PEOPLE: “I’m incredibly excited to begin work on Slumdog Millionaire: The Musical."

"This reimagined version will take you on an electrifying journey with new songs and a few unexpected twists. We can’t wait for you to experience it with us!” he continued.

Producer Davenport added, “My father, Kenny Dipchand Hasija, never talked much about growing up in India, until I took him to see Slumdog Millionaire. Immediately after the credits rolled, the stories, the love, and the pride of where he was from poured out of him."

"It was one of the closest moments we ever had. Right then and there, I vowed to one day find a way to bring our Indian culture to the stage, as a way to honor him, and people of Indian descent all over the world. I just never imagined that I'd be able to do that with that very film, and with A.R. Rahman himself!" Davenport shared, per the release. 

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The musical is being produced by Davenport in association with Celador International.

"I'm so grateful that this beloved story has been entrusted to me, with a special thank you to [film producer] Paul Smith at Celador,” he said.

Slumdog Millionaire — inspired by Vikas Swarup's award-winning Indian novel Q & A — grossed over $378 million internationally after premiering in late 2008. It had been produced for $15 million. The movie starred actors including Dev Patel, who got his big break in Hollywood with the film after previously starring in the British TV show Skins from 2007-2008, and Freida Pinto, as well as Anil Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla.

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Slumdog Millionaire won eight Academy Awards, including those for Best Picture and Best Director for Danny Boyle, as well as multiple BAFTA and Golden Globe awards.

The movie's soundtrack, produced by Rahman, also won two Grammy Awards and sold over two million copies worldwide