Move over, Avengers: Ryan Murphy has assembled one of the most impressive bands of superheroic entities of all time.
EW has confirmed the visionary storyteller has cast Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Ariana Grande, Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key, James Corden, and Andrew Rannells in his feature film adaptation of the queer-themed, Tony-nominated stage musical The Prom. (Deadline first reported the news Tuesday).
Murphy will reportedly shoot the film in December, ultimately eyeing a 2020 awards season rollout with a theatrical bow planned ahead of the film’s streaming debut.
In Prom, Streep — currently starring on season 2 of HBO’s Big Little Lies — will play Dee Dee Allen, a two-time Tony-winning stage actress who partners with Corden’s Barry Glickman for a flop musical about the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. Though they receive catastrophic reviews for the production, they team with Broadway darlings Angie Dickinson (Kidman) and Trent Oliver (Rannells) to champion a charitable cause to boost their careers. They land on helping a high school senior who got her Indiana school’s prom canceled because she wasn’t allowed to bring her girlfriend as her date.
Grande — who will also produce the film’s soundtrack alongside her manager, Scooter Braun, and Murphy — will star as Alyssa, a popular student and daughter of the school’s PTA head, while Awkwafina will portray the actors’ publicist, Ms. Sheldon. Key will fill the role of Streep’s love interest and Emma’s educational ally, Principal Hawkins.
Murphy will produce the film with Alexis Woodall, Bill Damaschke, and Dori Berinstein from a screenplay written by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, with the latter screenwriter penning the music and lyrics with Matthew Sklar.
Murphy (of American Horror Story, Glee, American Crime Story, and Pose fame) adds Prom to his growing repertoire of Netflix projects, per an exclusive production deal he struck with the streaming giant in February 2018. He is also currently working on three series: The Politician, Ratched and Hollywood, with an additional pair of documentaries (and another reported movie adaptation of a Broadway musical) in the works.
Related content:
- Breakout queer Broadway musical The Prom to get YA novel adaptation
- Ryan Murphy to adapt Broadway musical The Prom as Netflix movie
- Broadway’s new musical The Prom is filled with heart: EW review
