'The Prom' Broadway Musical Is Getting A Netflix Movie Adaptation From Ryan Murphy
Ryan Murphy can't get enough of those high school musicals. After starting a minor phenomenon with his fun but flawed Fox series Glee, Murphy is returning to those hallowed halls of high school to get ready for The Prom. The hit Broadway musical comedy directed and choreographed by Tony Award winning director Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Aladdin) is getting turned into a movie, with Murphy set to develop the project as part of his multi-year deal with Netflix.
No one wants to go back to high school, except for perhaps Ryan Murphy. The American Horror Story and American Crime Story creator is using his lucrative exclusive streaming deal with Netflix to return to high school with a movie adaptation of The Prom, an ongoing Broadway musical that "tells the story of an Indiana high schooler barred from bringing her girlfriend to the prom—and the group of eccentric Broadway folk who infiltrate the town in an earnest, misguided attempt to fight the injustice."
Murphy announced on his Instagram that he is in the process of developing The Prom into a feature film for Netflix, writing in his caption:
THE PROM is one of the most uplifting, heartfelt and special musicals I have ever seen on Broadway. It's truly an original that celebrates the underdog and says in a loving spectacular way that LGBTQ rights are human rights. I feel a special connection to it because it's set in Indiana, and that's where I grew up, too. I'm thrilled to announce I'm turning it into a MOVIE EVENT for Netflix, and I'm bringing producers Bill Damaschke and Dori Berinstein and the amazing creative team with me — Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw, Tony Award winner Bob Martin, Tony award nominee Matthew Sklar and Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin.
He also encouraged his followers to "See it first at the Longacre Theatre," adding, "It has a musical score that will leave you singing for days, a hilarious and moving book and some of the most showstopping direction, choreography and performances I've ever seen on Broadway."
It's sweet to see Murphy so excited for a project, and he seems eager to once again flex his musical comedy muscles. While Glee had its highs and its very low lows, it certainly couldn't have been made by anyone other than Murphy, and I can see him bringing that same acumen to The Prom.
The Prom will just be the latest series in Murphy's exclusive deal with Netflix, which includes the dark comedy series The Politician and Ratched, a prequel to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest starring Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story) as a younger version of the infamously cruel nurse.