BY LEE PFEIFFER
A new stage adaptation of Harper Lee's literary classic "To Kill a Mockingbird" will be brought to Broadway by producer Scott Rudin. He has hired veteran writer Aaron Sorkin to write the script, which we are told will deviate from the previous, unrelated stage version that adhered closely to the original story and text. Rudin says that the original concept can't be kept in "the original Bubble Wrap" and plans to add scenes that are only alluded to in the film. His instincts better be right because generations of readers have a passionate love for the novel and the 1962 screen version that won an Oscar for Gregory Peck. Readers reacted in shock when the beloved Lee's unpublished novel "Go Set a Watchman" was published last year. The manuscript, which was written before "Mockingbird", presents the character of Atticus Finch (played by Peck in the film as a stalwart and courageous fighter for racial equality) as a blatant racist. Lee passed away last week after suffering declining health for years. There has been speculation that she never intended to have "Watchman" published but those who looked after her affairs said she was mentally competent and wanted the book to come out. The same controversy is likely to occur with the new stage production of "Mockingbird" with skeptics sure to raise questions regarding just how involved she was in granting rights for the show. Lee lived a low-profile life style since the 1950s when "Mockingbird" was published. She rarely granted interviews and expressed a disdain for publicity. Some of those who befriended her wonder if she was mentally or physically competent enough to make such decisions and note that the highly lucrative publishing of "Watchman" seemed at odds with her decision to keep it unpublished for over a half-century. (Click here for more on the debate about her mental health.) Nevertheless, a new "Mockingbird" will grace Broadway. The curiosity factor alone seems to ensure some big ticket sales, but whether any resulting backlash will damage the production remains to be seen. For more click here.