Amandla Stenberg cast in Dear Evan Hansen musical film
© Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)
The Hunger Games actor will take on the role of Alana in the upcoming silver screen project – months after WhatsOnStage said she'd be a dream fit for the part.
Opening to a raft of five-star reviews, two WhatsOnStage Awards and seven Olivier Award nominations, the hit musical follows a teenager, Evan, who pretends to be friends with a deceased pupil to become popular at school. It includes numbers such as "You Will Be Found" and "For Forever".
Ben Platt is expected to reprise his Tony Award winning role as Evan, with Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart) in talks to play the role of Zoe Murphy. Dever recently visited the West End production while in London. Stephen Chbosky (Wonder) is attached to direct. While nothing is completely confirmed, with Platt's own father acting as one of the producers we wouldn't be surprised if it pans out as accurate.
According to published reports, the role of Alana has been expanded for the film, and Stenberg will co-compose a new song for her character with writers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Creators Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Steven Levenson recently discussed the eagerly anticipated film version of the hit show, which is currently in development, with WhatsOnStage:
It has words and music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and is directed by Michael Greif, with choreography by Danny Mefford, design by David Korins, projection design by Peter Nigrini, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Nevin Steinberg and hair design by David Brian Brown. Music supervision, orchestrations and additional arrangements are by Alex Lacamoire. Ben Cohn is the associate music supervisor. Vocal arrangements and additional arrangements are by Paul.
WhatsOnStage said of this five-star show: "Dear Evan Hansen is a desperately powerful exploration of a troubled teen sacrificing the truth for a sense of comfort – startlingly relevant for a world swaddled in screens and fleeting fictions."
