Stage Door News
Toronto: The 2021 Toronto International Film Festival will open with film of “Dear Evan Hansen”
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Dear Evan Hansen, the forthcoming film based on the Tony-winning musical of the same name, will make its premiere September 9 when it opens the Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall.
The annual festival, according to Deadline, will welcome back in-person audiences; the 10-day event continues through September 18.
Ben Platt reprises his Tony-winning performance in the title role of Dear Evan Hansen, a sensitive high school student caught at the center of a story that spirals out of control. The film's cast also includes Oscar winner Julianne Moore as Evan's mom Heidi, Amy Adams as Cynthia Murphy, Danny Pino as Larry Murphy, Amandla Stenberg as Alana Beck, Colton Ryan as Connor Murphy, and Nik Dodani as Jared Kleinman. DeMarius Copes, Gerald Caesar, and Liz Kate are also seen in new roles specifically created for the adaptation.
Stephen Chbosky directs, with Steven Levenson adapting his book for the screen alongside the songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
The Toronto International Film Festival will also feature the world premiere of Kenneth Branagh's Belfast, Walt Becker's Clifford the Big Red Dog, Will Sharpe's The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, Michael Showalter's The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Alison Klayman's Jagged, Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho, Mélanie Laurent's The Mad Women’s Ball (Le Bal des folles), Danis Goulet's Night Raiders, Zhang Yimou's One Second, and Barry Levinson's The Survivor.
Click here for more information about the festival.
Photo: Colton Ryan and Ben Platt. © 2021 Erika Doss/Universal Pictures.