PAUL MCCARTNEY has conquered the music charts as both a Beatle and a solo act, but now, he has his eye on Broadway: He’s working on a musical version of Frank Capra’s 1946 film “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

McCartney has teamed up with writer Lee Hall, who previously worked with Elton John on “Billy Elliot: The Musical,” and producer Bill Kenwright on the project, which could hit the stage as early as next year.

“Writing a musical is not something that had ever really appealed to me,” McCartney said in a statement, according to the New York Post. “But Bill and I met up with Lee Hall and had a chat and I found myself thinking this could be interesting and fun.”

For those unfamiliar with the movie, it has something of a dark premise for a much-beloved holiday film. It follows George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart), a down-on-his-luck everyman, who thinks his family’s better off with him dead. When an angel comes to save him from a suicide attempt, George is given a gift: to see what life would be like if he had never been born.

George Bailey’s story is often thought of as a decidedly American classic, but McCartney sees it as “a universal story we can all relate to.”

And Kenwright is already setting high expectations for the stage adaptation.

“To be honest I was hooked on first hearing him say ‘one/two/three/four’ on the demo of the opening number! But since then it’s been an extraordinary journey – on every song I experience Paul’s unique gift of melody and composition,” he said.

“It’s musical theater — but it’s always McCartney. Paul, Lee, and I use the word ‘cherish’ when we refer to our source material and that’s what we intend to do. Cherish Frank Capra’s creation.”

(SD-Agencies)