15 Musicals Set for Movie Adaptations
The pandemic may have derailed everyone's theatergoing plans, but there's still a lot of upcoming movie-musical adaptations to look forward to. Here's a rundown of what's coming, what's planned, and some of the fun rumors we've heard about what's next.
1. The Prom
Release Date: December 11
Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Keegan-Michael Key, and Andrew Rannells head the cast of Netflix movie version of the of the much-loved Broadway musical. It got six Tony Award nominations when it opened on Broadway, with Glee's Ryan Murphy attached to take it on to the big screen.
2. Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Release Date: February 26, 2021
Newcomer Max Harwood is joined by Sharon Horgan and Richard E. Grant to transform this hit West End musical about a high school student's desire to become a drag queen into a film. Original writers Tom MacRae and Dan Gillespie Sells, and original director Jonathan Butterell are behind the project, which was first inspired from a BBC TV documentary.
3. In the Heights
Release Date: June 18, 2021
With Lin-Manuel Miranda's star shining brighter than ever following the success of his musical Hamilton, film producers renewed their interest in taking Usnavi and co to the big screen. A cast of fantastic musical theater, music, and TV stars have shot the film, which had its release date pushed back a year due to the pandemic.
(© Amblin)
4. West Side Story
Release Date: December 10, 2021
Drama and film greats Tony Kushner and Steven Spielberg are coming together to work on a new version of the classic musical by Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents, and Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. The cast is a mix of film greats and upcoming stars, and the first look photos were very intriguing. The release was delayed by a full year due to the pandemic.
5. Tick, Tick…Boom!
Release Date: Unconfirmed
Jonathan Larson created this semiautobiographical musical about a young theater composer struggling to get his foot in the door. Lin-Manuel Miranda (because he isn't busy enough already…) has signed on to direct a film version for streaming service Netflix, with Andrew Garfield leading the cast. Filming was interrupted by the pandemic, so we'll wait and see when it's released.
6. Matilda
Release Date: Unconfirmed
A very clandestine casting notice and some ambiguous emails from the production gave us the tip-off about this one – with Netflix orbiting the project, Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly's musical looks set to be heading for the big screen. The musical's director Matthew Warchus is attached, so we're assuming it'll also feature all of the musical's tunes rather than being a completely new beast. Ralph Fiennes and Jodie Comer were apparently tipped to join the cast as Trunchbull and Miss Honey respectively, but a new casting call recently went out for the lead role.
(© Gage Skidmore/Maplegutter/DannyB/David Gordon/Joseph Marzullo/Tristan Fuge)
7. Dear Evan Hansen
Release Date: Unconfirmed
It swept the Tonys and recently won a trio of statues at this year's Oliviers, so it was inevitable that Pasek and Paul's tearjerker musical was going to be headed for the big screen. A cast is all set, and we've heard that filming is in progress in Georgia.
(© Johan Persson)
8. Follies
Release Date: Unconfirmed
Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's Follies will be adapted into a film directed by Dominic Cooke, who helmed the recent National Theatre of London revival. Set in a crumbling theater where a reunited group of old Follies girls reflect on their lives and their performing heydays, the musical features numbers including "Losing My Mind" and "I'm Still Here." No other information has been released.
9. Mean Girls
Release Date: Unconfirmed
A brand new film version of the stage musical based on an original film (it's somewhat satisfying to see it come full-circle) was recently announced by Tina Fey. That's all we've got so far.
10. Fiddler on the Roof
Release Date: Unconfirmed
Hamilton's Thomas Kail and Dear Evan Hansen's Steven Levinson will lead a brand-new version of the iconic stage show, which they promised will be a departure from the original.
11. Merrily We Roll Along
Release Date: Probably the 2040s
Ben Platt and BFF Beanie Feldstein will take Sondheim's musical to the big screen, with director Richard Linklater creating the film in real-time over the course of 20 years. This might need a bit of patience. While filming has already begun, word on the street is that certain reshoots are necessary.
12. Once on This Island
Release Date: Unconfirmed
Disney Plus is reportedly working on a brand new version of the beloved Lynn Ahrens-Stephen Flaherty musical, about a group of gods and island dwellers in the Caribbean. Jocelyn Bioh is penning the script, with Wanuri Kahiu directing.
13. Come From Away
Release Date: Unconfirmed
(© Matthew Murphy)
This one had been on the radar for a while, but all of a sudden the musical's creators announced they'd turned in a draft script, and plan to cast the show from "non-Hollywood" types.
14. Cyrano
Release Date: Unconfirmed
(© Monique Carboni)
Peter Dinklage will once more take on the title role in this screen adaptation, created by his wife, Erica Schmidt. The film, like the off-Broadway production that Dinklage and Schmidt worked on together, will have music by the National. Haley Bennett, Brian Tyree Henry, and Ben Mendelsohn co-star.
15. The Color Purple
Release Date: Unconfirmed
(© Matthew Murphy)
Blitz Bazawule will direct and Marcus Gardley will write the new adaptation of Alice Walker's novel, which is based on Marsha Norman, Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray's Tony-winning stage musical. The property was first adapted for the screen in 1985 with direction by Steven Spielberg.
