Ragesh Dipu
Ryan Murphy on Wednesday announced that a movie adaptation of his Broadway hit ‘Boys in the Band’ is coming to Netflix. Murphy also revealed that the Broadway stars Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, and Matt Bomer also return for the movie. The movie is directed by Joe Mantello, who helmed the Broadway version, and Murphy produces along with David Stone and Ned Martel.
Other cast members include Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesus, Tuc Watkins, Michael Benjamin Washington, and Brian Hutchison from the original. The movie is expected to premiere in 2020. ‘The Broadway cast of Boys was so important to me, and as equally groundbreaking as Mart Crowley’s seminal work. Everyone in the cast was out and proud… and feeling so blessed to mark the 50th anniversary of Mart’s landmark play,’ Murphy shared his excitement at a ‘Netflix movie event.’ ‘Boys in the Band‘ is Murphy’s latest collaboration with Netflix after he locked the $300 million overall deal with the streaming giant.
On the other hand, ‘Boys in the Band’ is the latest Broadway production to get a movie adaptation nod from Netflix. The film joins Kerry Washington’s ‘American Son’ and Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Springsteen on Broadway,’ which are already in the roster. ‘Boys in the Band’ is Crowley’s breakout play, which debuted Off-Broadway in 1968. The plot centers on the gay community in New York City in the pre-Stonewall era. The Broadway production has a limited 15-week run in 2018 as a part of its 50th-anniversary celebrations. The production earned a record-breaking sum at the Booth theater during the limited run. The final week broke the Booth’s house record with a weekly gross of $1,152,649.
The announcement comes after Murphy revealed his plans last week to adapt the Broadway musical ‘The Prom’ for Netflix. The movie adaptation is a part of Murphy’s $300 million overall deal with Netflix. ‘The Prom’ revolves around an Indiana teenager, played by Caitlin Kinnunen, and her girlfriend, played by Isabelle McCalla. Caitlin’s character wants to bring her girlfriend to the school’s big dance party. But they are banned from the event. A group of Broadway freaks join hands to help the lesbian lovers to enter the party. Based on an original concept by Jack Viertel and a book by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, ‘The Prom’ has music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Beguelin. Casey Nicholaw is the director and choreographer. The show is produced by Bill Damaschke, Dori Berinstein and Jack Lane.
Murphy is known as a staunch supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and an advocate of their rights. He has created projects like ‘Pose,’ ‘The Normal Heart,’ ‘Glee,’ and many more during the past couple of years. According to reports, Murphy was awestruck by the Broadway production of ‘The Prom’ so that the prolific creator announced the movie adaptation as the first project of his Netflix overall deal. Murphy also admitted that he knew nothing about ‘The Prom’ before taking his seat inside the theater. After the show, Murchy has decided to host the event, besides producing it. ‘I know, it’s exciting,’ Murphy said to a crowd that went wild after the announcement. ‘I’m really tired of hearing about bad news and Trump. I want to see entertainment that is optimistic and uplifting,’ he added with a grin. ‘I was absolutely blown away by Casey’s work and the incredible cast,’ Murphy said about ‘The Prom’ experience. ‘I cried at the end from pure joy, which has not happened to me since Patti LuPone was the flower girl at my wedding,’ he concluded.
Murphy has his hands full with shows like ‘The Politician’ starring Ben Platt, ‘Ratched,’ starring Sarah Paulson and ‘Hollywood,’ his first original series for Netflix.
