NEW YORK • Pop superstar Elton John announced on Thursday his return to Broadway with a musical adaptation of the blockbuster film and novel The Devil Wears Prada.

He will write the music, with lyrics to be penned by Paul Rudnick, a humorist who frequently writes for The New Yorker magazine.

"Reimagining The Devil Wears Prada for the musical theatre is super exciting," John, 69, said in a statement, which added that the production timeline will be announced later.

"I'm a huge fan of both the book and the feature film and a huge aficionado of the fashion world. I can't wait to sink my musical teeth into this hunk of popular culture," the English musician said.

While Broadway is notoriously tough terrain even for famous names, John has a proven record of triumph with musicals.

The Lion King, his musical adaptation of the Disney animated film, set the record as the first show to gross US$1 billion (S$1.43 billion) on Broadway, where it remains the third longest-running show in history.

He also found success with a musical adaptation of Verdi's opera Aida as well as Billy Elliot The Musical, which closed last year after a successful run on London's West End.

Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway starred in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada about an all-powerful fashion magazine editor who tyrannically imposes her will on an ambitious young editorial assistant.

A major international box-office success, the film was based on the popular novel of the same name by Lauren Weisberger.

The author formerly worked for longtime Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, although she has never confirmed that Wintour was the inspiration.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE