If Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has always belonged to dreamers, then Sabrina Carpenter is preparing to claim it for a new generation. The global pop phenomenon is set to star in and produce an untitled movie musical inspired by Alice in Wonderland for Universal Pictures.
Carpenter’s involvement is deeply intentional. Industry insiders reveal that she initiated the project herself, presenting the studio with a fully realised vision that included a detailed look book and conceptual framework.
In 2021, she also Interview Magazine that Alice in Wonderland was her favourite film, a fact many fans know well, often sending her “Alice in Wonderland–themed things.”
Below, everything we know about the upcoming musical.
While it already feels obvious that Sabrina will play Alice, given this is her passion project and she fits the character so seamlessly, IMDb also lists her as the titular ‘Alice’. The film is currently in pre-production.
What began as Sabrina’s passion project has quickly evolved, drawing in major collaborators and ultimately securing writer and director Lorene Scafaria. Known for the sleek, incisive storytelling of Hustlers as well as her work across prestige television, Scafaria brings an auteur’s sensibility to a world already defined by surrealism and narrative experimentation.
The producing team assembled around the film is equally impressive. Marc Platt, whose career includes musical touchstones such as Wicked, La La Land and Legally Blonde, joins forces with Alloy Entertainment’s Leslie Morgenstein and Elysa Koplovitz Dutton, whose credits include cultural fixtures like Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars.
Carroll’s original novels followed Alice as she fell into a topsy turvy universe governed by its own peculiar rules. The stories have been retold many times, from Disney’s 1951 animated classic to the lavish 2010 live-action blockbuster directed by Tim Burton, which was followed by the 2016 sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass.
This new version remains closely guarded, although those close to the production suggest that Carpenter’s creative fingerprint will shape its tone, aesthetics and musical identity.
The announcement arrives during a pinnacle moment in Carpenter’s career. She recently earned six Grammy nominations and has continued to build an acting portfolio across both film and television. Scafaria is similarly in demand, directing and executive producing the HBO comedy I Love LA while maintaining a strong presence in both drama and feature filmmaking.
Together, Carpenter and Scafaria seem poised to create a Wonderland that is imaginative, visually rich and powerfully attuned to this cultural moment.
