From Broadway to the Big Screen: ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Musical Trailer Released
Dear Evan Hansen released its first trailer for the musical movie adaptation from Universal Pictures premiering in theaters September 24. Award-winning actor Ben Platt will reprise his standout Broadway role for the movie, directed by filmmaker Stephen Chbosky (Perks of Being a Wallflower). Production on Dear Evan Hansen was stalled multiple times due to COVID-19, but is set for a theatrical release this fall and will be available to stream on-demand soon after.
The movie will closely follow the plot of the Broadway play. As seen in the trailer, Platt takes on the role of Evan Hansen, an anxious and troubled high school senior tasked with writing letters to himself as a form of therapy. These letters get into the wrong hands after a classmate dies by suicide as confusion and lies ensue. The characters then must navigate themes of mental health and high school amidst the age of social media.
“It’s pervasive—a lot of the mental health issues, a lot of the struggles that people are going through, whether it’s depression or it’s anxiety, or whether it’s clinical or sociological, since we’ve all been through this unbelievable time,” Chbosky stated in Vanity Fair. “When I take on a movie, I want it to do some good in the world. I want to help those people who might feel isolated, who might feel lonely or exposed.”
Mental health has become a much-discussed topic in recent years, and Dear Evan Hansen sets out to explore this for fans on the big screen. And to fans’ delight, Platt will return to his titular role bringing killer vocals and that same boyish charm that made the show such a success on Broadway.
Already ugly crying at the trailer.❤️
— Javier Muñoz (@JMunozActor) May 18, 2021
Dear Evan Hansen movie trailer here: https://t.co/6SJWtBBxVz pic.twitter.com/cyZHVOj5bh
I really screamed and let my tear ducts do the job while watching the Dear Evan Hansen trailer. The cast and the soundtrack are amazing. Again, THE CAST AND THE SOUNDTRACK. 😭
— Andrew (@tandrewwww) May 18, 2021
Wait we get a Dear Evan Hansen movie?!!!! (With AMY ADAMS?!) I’d goosebumps through the whole trailer and might be sobbing a bit, this musical means so much to me!!! 😭 #DearEvanHansenMovie https://t.co/usdwJgABRq
— Fifi 🌈 the writing elf (🍜✨🍫🌻🧁) (@FifiReads) May 18, 2021
Platt, 27, is older than he was when he first took on the role, and grapples with how much longer he could play a high schooler. Buzzfeed even commented on the actor’s apparent older looks and what that might mean for the movie. But as Chbosky explained, it was essential to have the Tony-winning actor reprise his role.
“You just have to hear him sing the songs,” Chbosky stated in Vanity Fair. “His understanding of the character is so complete and so profound. I couldn’t imagine anybody else playing it. It’s his part. I felt very strongly about it. And to me it was never even a consideration.”
Big names including Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, and Amanda Sternberg are seen in the trailer alongside Platt. Other cast members include Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart), Nik Dodani (Atypical), Danny Pino (Law & Order), Colton Ryan (Little Voice), and DeMarius Copes (Mean Girls on Broadway).
Dear Evan Hansen was adapted from Steven Levenson’s screenplay and features music from the original Grammy-winning songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman). Anthems like “You Will Be Found,” “For Forever,” and “Words Fail” will help to tell this musical story as it first appeared onstage in 2016.
I’ve not had the chance to see Dear Evan Hansen live yet, but I listen to the soundtrack so often and worship @BenSPLATT so hard, that the trailer for the movie has had me in bits. It’s going to be one that will make ‘greatest movies ever’ lists forever, I can feel it.
— Elizabeth Bishop (@athomewhorror) May 18, 2021
Dear Evan Hansen is produced by Marc Platt, who served in the same position for movie-musicals like La La Land, Into the Woods, and Mary Poppins Returns. Executive Producers include Michael Bederman, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul.
Check out Vanity Fair for more on what went into filming the musical adaptation and how Platt feels about returning to his most notable role.
Writer | @IlanaDavis24
