A new kind of musical is on the horizon — one born from a symphony and crafted straight from the heart.
Reimagined, the upcoming musical feature from Grammy-winning composer Mateo Messina (Juno), has officially kicked off production in New York’s Hudson Valley. The project marks Messina’s directorial debut and brings together Yonas Kibreab (Elio), Paula Patton (Sacrifice), and Cress Williams (Black Lightning), with Joel McHale (Community, Animal Control) also playing a key role.
The story follows young Felix McCoy (Kibreab), a boy reeling from the recent loss of his mother Mary (Patton), the cherished creator of his town’s annual holiday pageant. When the production is taken over and turned into a flashy, hollow spectacle by showy new director Hamilton Lydell (McHale), Felix takes matters into his own hands — sabotaging the pageant in hopes of preserving what his mom built. But in the process, he discovers that the best way to honor her legacy might be to help save the show, not ruin it.
Rounding out the cast are Josh Holloway (Duster), Kate Micucci (Dog Man), Jade Catta-Preta (Future Man), Savannah Dahan (Kidz Bop), Jeff Witzke (Saturday Night), and Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying.
The screenplay was penned by Messina and Witzke and is based on Messina’s original symphony The Pageant. The project is being produced by Robert Graf (No Country for Old Men), Gabriel Roth (Drugstore June), Chris Bongirne (Marshall), and Pete Muller.
Messina, who’s composed for more than 50 films and nearly 300 episodes of television, isn’t just scoring the movie — he’s letting the music become the movie.
With Reimagined, Mateo Messina is rethinking what a musical can be — not just a story with songs, but a cinematic symphony that plays out across heart, humor, and healing.