By: Sophie Querijero
Fans of Dear Evan Hansen can finally watch the musical again, this time as a film.
Universal released the Dear Evan Hansen movie adaptation’s first trailer, and the announcement that the movie will premiere on September 24 in theaters.
For those who haven’t been able to catch Dear Evan Hansen on the Broadway stage, the plot revolves around Evan Hansen himself, a high school senior with social anxiety who writes letters to himself as part of his therapy. With one of these letters found in the clutches of a boy who committed suicide, he is forced to spin a (well-intentioned) lie to the victim’s family.
Ben Platt played the original Evan Hansen until late 2017, and even when he left the show, there was no doubt that everyone wanted the actor to play the Evan Hansen they all knew and loved. However, they realized that they needed to move fast in order to bring Evan Hansen to the big screen.
“I think everybody obviously had in their minds that I wasn’t going to stay teen-adjacent forever,” Platt said in an interview with Vanity Fair, “The need to get it done was a little urgent. Then of course the pandemic happened, and I kind of assumed that was that—it would be a no-go, and by the time the pandemic was over, I’d have outgrown it.”
The film will be directed by Stephen Chbosky, who has Wonder and The Perks of Being a Wallflower under his belt, and is written by Steven Levenson. Featured in the musical-turned-film are Amandla Stenberg, Amy Adams, Colton Ryan, Danny Pino, DeMarius Copes, Julianna Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, and Nik Dodani.
While most films were pushed back due to the arrival of the pandemic, fans and excited first-time watchers can rest assured knowing that Dear Evan Hansen will most likely maintain its September release date.
Watch the official trailer here: