Ryan Murphy, under his new deal at Netflix, is set to embark on his first feature film for the streaming giant. And in true Murphy fashion, it’s going to be a big deal. The Glee and American Horror Story creator is set to direct an adaptation of the Broadway musical The Prom.
The stars? Only Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Ariana Grande, James Corden, Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key and Andrew Rannells, who are all set for key roles. The film is due to begin filming in December and is unsurprisingly being eyed for an awards season release in 2020.
The Prom follows four formerly famous Broadway actors who travel to the fictional conservative town of Edgewater, Indiana when they learn that a lesbian student was not allowed to bring her girlfriend to the prom. Their trip is under the guise of championing inclusivity, but they’re mostly just looking for good press to make them relevant once again.
The musical premiered on Broadway in October 2018 with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Beguelin and Bob Martin. It was nominated for six Tony awards, including Best Musical. Martin and Beguelin are penning the script for the film as well.
All the stars mentioned above are reportedly locked in to their roles. However, a nationwide search is underway to fill the lead role of Emma, the central high school figure.
Murphy has mostly worked in TV over the last half-decade. His last feature was 2014’s The Normal Heart for HBO. However during that time he has directed episodes of American Horror Story, American Crime Story, and Pose. He’s currently finished up his first Netflix series The Politician, while he also has a One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest prequel Ratched in development, which stars Sarah Paulson.
Netflix also just announced his latest series, Hollywood, while he’s also working on the upcoming season of American Horror Story as a part of his former deal with FX. So yeah, he’s keeping busy. One would expect much of his next year will be spent focusing on The Prom however, especially with Netflix planning a theatrical roll out and a major awards push.
With that cast, there’s every chance The Prom will be very much in contention come Oscar season 2021.
#Peace.Love.TheProm
