Palisades-Trained Amy Adams Joins Movie Version of ‘Dear Evan Hansen’

By JENNIKA INGRAM | Reporter 

Anticipation for the movie musical version of “Dear Evan Hansen” is buzzing with recent announcements of the new cast lineup: Theatre Palisades alumna Amy Adams is among the featured cast in the upcoming Universal Pictures version of the Broadway hit.

Multi-award winner and six-time Oscar nominee Adams will play Cynthia Murphy, a feature role in the musical drama.

The film version will be based on the 2016 stage musical about Evan Hansen, a high school senior with a social anxiety disorder and his journey of self discovery and acceptance following the death of a fellow classmate.

After Hansen breaks his arm, his doctor suggests he writes himself letters to manage his anxiety, and Hansen decides to do this task on the school’s computers. Soon, he gets unintentionally caught up in a lie after the family of a classmate who died by suicide mistakes one of Hansen’s letters for their own son’s note.

Marc Platt (“La La Land”) and Adam Siegel will produce under the Universal-based Marc Platt Productions banner. His son, Ben Platt (“Pitch Perfect”), will play the titular role.

Platt won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor for the original Broadway musical, with the musical winning six Tony Awards in all—the most awards of the 71st Tony Awards.

Julianne Moore will play Evan’s mother, Heidi Hansen. Moore won an Academy Award for the 2015 film “Still Alice.”

Adams is playing Connor Murphy’s mom, the mother of the child who died by suicide, as well as his sister, Zoe. Her role as Cynthia Murphy was performed on Broadway by Jennifer Laura Thompson.

Adams herself has never performed on Broadway. She is a six-time Oscar nominee for “American Hustle,” “Doubt,” “The Fighter,” “Junebug,” “The Master” and “Vice.”

Kaitlyn Dever (“Booksmart”) is cast as Zoe Murphy, Connor’s sister and Evan’s love interest. Colton Ryan will play Connor Murphy. Amandla Stenberg will play high school senior Alana Beck, expanding the role from the stage production and singing in the film.

Danny Pino will play Larry Murphy in a stepfather role unique to the movie, and Nik Dodani is taking on the role of Jared Kleinman.

Stephen Chbosky (“Rent,” “Beauty and the Beast”) will direct. Steven Levenson wrote the book for the stage musical and will pen the screenplay.

Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul sold the musical’s rights to Universal Pictures with Platt and Siegel producing.

Adams upcoming projects include “Hillbilly Elegy,” and “The Woman in the Window.”

As the Post went to print, no release date for “Dear Evan Hansen” has been set.