Ansel Elgort in West Side Story. PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES
The mega success of Hamilton didn’t ignite the current movie musical trend, but it certainly added fuel to the fire. The genre has gone from a new, heralded entry every couple of years to multiple musicals hitting theaters in the second half of 2021 alone—and that’s not even including In the Heights, which joyfully kicked off a return to theaters at the beginning of the summer. Here’s a look at what’s headed from Broadway to the big screen this year.
EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE - SEPT. 17
Max Harwood stars in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. PHOTO: BY DEAN ROGERSURTESY
Adapted from Tom MacRae and Dan Gillespie Sells’ musical about a gay teenager who finds himself through drag—currently playing in London’s West End—this filmed adaptation from Jonathan Butterell, featuring Cruella breakout Max Harwood as the talented teen, will be released stateside on Amazon Prime Video. Sharon Horgan, Sarah Lancashire and Richard E. Grant also star.
DEAR EVAN HANSEN - SEPT. 24
Tony winner Ben Platt reprises his role as a loner high schooler whose lies turn into an avalanche after he accidentally misleads people about his relationship with a classmate. Stephen Chbosky directs the film, which Steven Levenson adapted from his, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s Tony-winning musical. Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Danny Pino and Amandla Stenberg also star.
TICK, TICK... BOOM! - FALL
Tick, Tick... Boom! is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut. PHOTO: COURTESY OF NETFLIX
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first time in the director’s chair is, fittingly, for a theater classic: an adaptation of late Rent playwright Jonathan Larson’s semiautobiographical musical about an aspiring New York City composer. Andrew Garfield stars in the Netflix film alongside Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesús, Joshua Henry, Mj Rodriguez, Bradley Whitford, Tariq Trotter, Judith Light and Vanessa Hudgens.
WEST SIDE STORY - DEC. 10
West Side Story—as seen through the lens of Steven Spielberg—releases Dec. 10. PHOTO: COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Steven Spielberg reinterprets the long-awaited revival of the Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents classic, about star-crossed lovers from rival New York City gangs. Ansel Elgort and newcomer Rachel Zegler star as lovebirds Tony and Maria, while Ariana DeBose steps into Rita Moreno’s shoes as Anita. Moreno herself will also appear in a new role.
CYRANO - DEC. 25
Edmond Rostand’s classic tale gets an update in this Joe Wright film, an adaptation of Erica Schmidt’s 2018 stage musical featuring Peter Dinklage as Cyrano de Bergerac and Haley Bennett as his Roxanne, reprising their stage roles. Brian Tyree Henry and Ben Mendelsohn also star.
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