Tony-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen to become a feature film
The smash-hit musical Dear Evan Hansen will be adapted into a feature film. Per a report from Deadline, Universal Pictures bought the rights from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who wrote the music and lyrics.
Dear Evan Hansen tells a story exploring themes of teen suicide and mental illness, following a high schooler who’s plagued with social anxiety, eventually making up a story to befriend the family of a classmate of his who had committed suicide. The musical won multiple Tony Awards in 2017, including Best Musical as well as Best Actor and Best Actress for stars Ben Platt and Rachel Bay Jones. It’s still uncertain whether Ben Platt will reprise his role on the big screen.
Marc Platt and Adam Siegel will be producing through Marc Platt Productions while Pasek and Paul are expected to be executive producers. Steven Levenson, who authored Dear Evan Hansen, and also won a Tony for Best Book of a Musical, is expected to write the script.
There are no other official details as yet, besides Wonder director Stephen Chbosky is in the early stages of negotiations to direct. At this point, there’s no official start date for production.
Pasek and Paul previously won an Oscar for Best Song for “City of Stars” from Damien Chazelle’s La La Land. They were also nominated for Best Original Song for “This is Me” from the Hugh Jackman vehicle, The Greatest Showman.
(Photo credit: Getty Images)
