The original Broadway production of Dear Evan Hansen. (Photo: Matthew Murphy)
You will be found at the movies! On September 24, the film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen will premiere in theaters. The Universal Pictures film has been long discussed, but we finally have a firm release date to look forward to.
Ben Platt in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ (Photo: Matthew Murphy via The Broadway Blog.)
Based on the beloved Broadway musical created by Oscar and Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Dear Evan Hansen follows the titular high schooler and the small lie he tells that grows to affect his family, first love, and sense of identity in a world that has never really understood him. In the film, Ben Platt will reprise his much celebrated and Tony Award-winning performance as Evan Hansen.
The star-studded cast also features Oscar winners Julianne Moore and Amy Adams as Evan’s mother Heidi and Cynthia Murphy, respectively. Kaitlyn Dever plays Zoe Murphy, Evan’s crush and the sister of suicide victim Conor Murphy, played by Colton Ryan. Danny Pino plays Larry Murphy, who has been re-conceived for the film as Conor and Zoe’s step-father. Amandla Stenberg plays Alana Beck, Nik Dodani plays Jared Kleinman, and Broadway favorite Isaac Cole Powell joins the cast in the new role o Rhys, a high school jock.
Stephen Chbosky (director of the films The Perks of Being a Wallflower, based on the novel he penned, and Wonder) directs the film, and Steven Levenson adapts his Tony Award-winning book to the silver screen.
Universal might be poised to keep this film’s fall release date as the pandemic continues to delay live performance events and even movie releases. Per Variety, “Universal forged an early premium video-on-demand agreement with cinema chains AMC and Cinemark. Under the pact, the studio can debut new movies on home entertainment after 17 days without fear that major theater circuits will boycott.” Here’s hoping September 24 is a very good day!
