The adaptation process began with extensive reading and research, enabling Scheer to hone in on the operatic elements present in Moby-Dick's language, themes, and narrative structure.

He believes that effective opera libretto writing should prioritize emotional stakes conveyed through music rather than focusing solely on language.

In addition to Moby-Dick, Scheer is also adapting Michael Chabon's novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, which presents its own unique challenges due to its expansive timeline and narrative complexity.

For Kavalier & Clay, Scheer plans to depict three distinct musical worlds to represent different aspects of the story, including the Holocaust, vibrant post-war New York, and the comic-book creation process.

Scheer compares the writing process for opera to silent film, emphasizing the importance of visual storytelling and grand gestures over reliance on language.

A new production of Moby-Dick, adapted into an opera by Gene Scheer and composer Jake Heggie, is set to premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in early March 2025.

Scheer faced the challenge of transforming Melville's dense narrative, which includes lengthy chapters on whale anatomy and theology, into a compelling three-hour opera.

The libretto features more detailed stage directions than usual to capture the intense action and relationships among characters, particularly between Ishmael and Queequeg.

Key insights for the adaptation were gained from a visit to the Nantucket Whaling Museum, which inspired specific staging and character interactions.

In a significant storytelling shift, Scheer reimagined Ishmael as a 'Greenhorn' character, experiencing the whaling journey in real time rather than as a distant narrator.

Scheer incorporated direct quotes and edited passages from Melville's text into the libretto, sometimes using lines as inspiration for new material.

The collaboration with composer Jake Heggie involved iterative drafts of the libretto, with input from a dramaturge to refine the dramatic beats of the opera.