Four decades ago, members of The Who started working on Lifehouse – the best rock opera that never was. This ambitious production never came to be, but the band will finally release it in a completely different form.
The band’s shelved project will get a graphic novel treatment. Frontman Pete Townshend described it as the most exciting creative development in his long career.
“Lifehouse always had a strong and important visual story that was never even touched on. I am excited then, with huge anticipation, that at last Lifehouse can be realized visually, and as a story – part science fiction, part spiritual allegory,” said Townshend in a statement.
Illustrator James Harvey will work alongside The Who’s singer to transform his screenplay into a 150-page graphic novel, scheduled for release next year. Lifehouse has been in the making since the ‘70s and the band revisited the idea on a couple of occasions after that.
This project was originally described as a “fantasy set at a time when rock ’n’ roll didn’t exist”. Unfortunately, this rock opera proved to be beyond the band’s skill set and financial scope and they abandoned the project to focus their attention on Who’s Next album instead.
