Broadway production Dear Evan Hansen is going to be adapted as a feature film. But will it star the Tony-winning originator of the role?
Of course, someone was going to make a movie out of Dear Evan Hansen. The Tony Award-winning Broadway production has it all: Amazing songs, a moving and timely central plot, and one heck of a heartfelt ending. And by bringing it to the big screen you get to share that story with a much wider audience than might ever make it to Broadway or their local touring theater production. Everyone wins!
The thing is, if we’re going to bother making a movie, there’s one thing that’s kind of not negotiable. No shade on the other portrayers of the title role, or the A-list stars who love belting out “Waving Through a Window” in the shower or whatever. If the movie of the show doesn’t star Ben Platt, there’s really no point.
Platt originated the role of Evan Hansen when he was just 23 years old, performing in workshops, the show’s Washington, D.C. trial, its Off-Broadway run, and its Broadway premiere in November of 2016. He won a Tony for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance, and all told played the character for nearly four years. Let’s just be honest, at this point he deserves the chance to immortalize the role on film.
Platt – rocking an epic quarantine moustache – recently chatted with Jimmy Fallon and said that the idea was still on the table.
“It’s something that we’ve definitely been trying to get together to make happen. I know Universal really wants to make the film. It’s a toss-up at this point just based on, can we do it safely and can we get it together in time?”
“Some of us are getting a little long in the tooth, so I think it’s a now or never kind of thing,” Platt said.
Personally, I vote now. Sure, there are plenty of actors who could play the part of Evan Hansen. But Platt’s devoted so much of his life to this show and this character – and, quite frankly, is so good in the part – that it makes no sense to go with anyone else.
And let’s be real, most of this show is adults playing high school kids. We all know how to suspend our disbelief for the sake of art, is what I’m saying.
But it sounds like we’ll just have to cross our fingers and hope.
“Hopeful it can come together and we can find a safe way to do it,” Platt said. “As of now it could really go either way, but I think it could be a beautiful thing still. We’ll see.”
Do you think Ben Platt’s involvement is a deal-breaker for the Dear Evan Hansen film? Let’s discuss.