'Brokeback Mountain' to be staged as opera

NEW YORK, June 9 (UPI) -- The New York City Opera said it is planning to stage an adaptation of Annie Proulx's short story "Brokeback Mountain."

Proulx's work about a pair of cowboys who fall in love was the basis for Ang Lee's acclaimed 2005 film, which co-starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger.

The New York Times said the New York City Opera has hired composer Charles Wuorinen to create an opera based on the original story.

The opera is scheduled to premiere in 2013, the newspaper said.