Ryan Murphy’s ‘Prom’ Musical to Be Major Netflix Oscar Player With Streep, Kidman, and More
After pushing hard for Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” last year, which won three Oscars for the streamer, Netflix will swing big again with a star-studded fall 2020 release of the Tony-nominated musical “The Prom.” Less than one year into his massive five-year deal with the streamer, Ryan Murphy has landed significant star power for his adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, which preaches a message of LGBTQ inclusion. Meryl Streep will star alongside James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Keegan Michael Key, Awkwafina, and Ariana Grande. Netflix is eyeing a fall 2020 awards season theatrical release before “The Prom” hits Netflix. (Via Deadline).
Written by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin from a story by Jack Viertel, with lyrics by Beguelin and music by Matthew Sklar, “The Prom” follows a group of Broadway actors who help a teenage lesbian attend her prom as a PR stunt. After getting particularly bad reviews for their latest show, they read an article about a high school in Indiana that won’t let a girl attend her prom with her girlfriend, and roll into town to champion her cause in the hopes of rehabilitating their careers. Though their motivations are self-interested at first, along the way they grow to truly care for the girls and the people in the town.
Streep will play two-time Tony winner Dee Dee Allen, in a role originated by Broadway diva Beth Leavel. Dee Dee starred opposite Corden’s Barry Glickman in a flop of a musical about Eleanor Roosevelt, and the disgraced stars rally fellow Broadway vets Angie Dickinson (Kidman) and Trent Oliver (Rannells) to their cause. Awkwafina will play the group’s publicist; Key will play the school principal who falls for Streep’s character; and Grande will play the closeted love interest to lead Emma. A nationwide search is being held by casting director Alex Vogel to fill the role of Emma.
Murphy has been busy lining up his next few years with Netflix. “The Prom” joins another Broadway adaptation of Mart Crowley’s play “The Boys in the Band,” which will star the original Broadway cast of all out gay actors. Murphy is also preparing to launch new series “Ratched,” “The Politician,” and “Hollywood” on the streamer. He also recently bought LGBTQ documentary “Circus of Books” for the platform.
