Music theater lovers, September 24, is going to be a great day and that’s why: Universal debuts the adaptation of ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ in theaters.
Ben Platt is reconsidering his Tony Award-winning role as a title character in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’, a film adaptation of the popular Broadway musical created by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The show focuses on Evan Hansen, an anxious and isolated high school student. After the suicide of his classmate Connor Murphy, Evan accidentally gets caught in a lie because Connor’s parents mistaken one of Hansen’s letters as a suicide note for their son.
Many films planned for 2021 have already been delayed due to the pandemic. ‘Dear Evan Hansen’, however, has a better chance of retaining the fall date for the fall. This is because Universal has forged an early premium video-on-demand agreement with the cinema chains AMC and Cinemark. Under the agreement, the studio can debut new films on home entertainment after 17 days, without fear that large theater circles will boycott.
Stephen Chbosky (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, “Wonder”) directed the film from a screenplay by Steven Levenson, who wrote the book of the stage musical. The cast also includes Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Amy Adams and Julianne Moore.
‘Dear Evan Hansen’ opened on Broadway in December 2016 to garner rave reviews. It was nominated for nine Tony Awards and took home six, including Best Musical and Best Actor in a Musical for Platt. The original Broadway album, featuring the catchy songs “You Will Be Found”, “Waving Through a Window” and “Sincerely, Me”, won a Grammy.
Ben Platt’s father, Marc Platt, who produced ‘La La Land’, served with Adam Seigel as a producer for ‘Dear Evan Hansen’. Pasek, Paul, Levenson and Michael Bederman executive producer. Universal Pictures will distribute the film worldwide.