5 West End musicals coming soon to a cinema near you!
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Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels
(Updated on Oct 9, 2023)
You've seen these West End shows on stage, but are you excited to see them on the shiny big screen? Musical films are certainly nothing new. And if we can all pretend that last year's Cats-tastrophe didn't happen, we'll remember that musical films are also generally quite good — Mamma Mia! and Les Miserables being textbook examples.
See what current London musicals are coming soon to a cinema near you!
Max Harwood is set to headline the forthcoming ETAJ film, set to be released in cinemas later this year.
Five West End musicals set to become blockbuster films
Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Release date: 23 October 2020
It started out on the small screen as the BBC documentary, Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, before getting a full West End makeover. Now award-winning musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie is coming to the big screen this autumn and London theatre fans couldn't be more stoked for the big premiere! The film, which follows the same story of a teenage boy who dreams of becoming the next big drag queen, stars newcomer Max Harwood in the titular role after being the lucky winner in an open casting call. He is joined by Game of Thrones star Richard E Grant as Hugo/Loco Chanelle (who recently posted a video of him trying on his heels to much excitement), Sharon Horgan as Jamie's mean schoolteacher Miss Hedge, Shobna Gulati as Ray, and Sarah Lancashire as Jamie's mother.
Wicked
Release date: 22 December 2021
After being on in the West End for more than 13 years, everyone's favourite 'emerald green musical' has now been given the 'emerald green light' for a big-screen adaptation set to open in cinemas next year! Billy Elliot director Stephen Daldry announced last year that he would be taking on the project with the show's composer Stephen Schwartz and screenwriter Winnie Holsman also on board. Wicked was meant to be released in 2019, but then Cats came (literally) crawling into the picture. Elphaba's furry competitor certainly wasn't too pop-u-ooh-lar with the critics. Here's to hoping Wicked will be the shiz.
Matilda
In pre-production
It was recently announced that The Old Vic's Artistic Director Matthew Warchus is poised to direct an all-new Matilda film produced by Working Title (Les Mis, Billy Elliot). But unlike its 1996 counterpart, this time things will get musical. An open casting call to find the new telekinetic brainiac will be held in April 2020 with filming expected to take place later this year.
Dear Evan Hansen
In pre-production
Talks of making Dear Evan Hansen into a movie have been going on ever since the musical won an astonishing six Tony Awards. The rights to make the film were purchased by Universal Pictures a while back and the film is reportedly set to reunite the original creative team comprised of Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Steven Levenson. Whether Ben Platt, who originated the titular role on Broadway, will star in the movie remains to be seen, though his father Marc Platt is said to be one of the film's producers...
Come From Away
In pre-production
Based on the true story set in the aftermath of 9/11, Canadian-American musical Come From Away has been a surprise runaway hit in the West End. A film is currently in the works with Christopher Ashley set to direct and the musical's Tony Award-nominated creators David Hein and Irene Sankoff set to pen the screenplay. The movie will allegedly be filmed where the events unfolded in real life — Gander, Newfoundland — in order to achieve the greatest level of authenticity as possible.