BOOKSMART Star Kaitlyn Dever To Star in Musical Adaptation of DEAR EVAN HANSEN
Kaitlyn Dever, best known for her roles in Last Man Standing, Booksmart, and Unbelievable, is in talks to star in a movie musical adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen. The film is based on a book by Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul. It was also a stage musical and the star of that musical, Ben Platt, is also going to reprise his role in the movie.
So, what is Dear Evan Hansen about? Here’s a description of the story:
Dear Evan Hansen tells the story of a young man with social anxiety disorder who so yearns to make a connection with his peers that he fabricates a relationship with a deceased student to become closer to the boy’s family. When a classmate commits suicide, shy Evan Hansen finds himself at the center of the tragedy and turmoil. In a misguided attempt to comfort the boy’s grieving family, Evan pretends that he was actually good friends with their son. He invents a fabricated email account to “prove” their friendship, and when a fake suicide note makes its way online, Evan finds himself the unintended face of a viral video about loneliness and friendship.
As his social currency skyrockets, Evan is drawn deeper and deeper into the lie. His relationship with his actual mother wanes in comparison to that of his “shiny new family.” He finally lands the girl of his dreams, and most importantly--he’s no longer invisible.
Eventually, Evan is forced to make a decision: Will he give himself over to the fantasy he’s created, or will he bite the bullet and risk losing everything he’s ever wanted? With a fast-paced new score from fresh young songwriting duo Pasek and Paul, (not to mention a few Tony awards), Dear Evan Hansen has become an instant hit among theatergoers everywhere.
Stephen Chbosky (Wonder) is set to direct the film and the music and lyrics were written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul for the stage show.
Dever has really become a great and impressive young actress. Her work in Unbelievable was powerful. She proved in that series that she’s got some serious acting chops. She will next be seen in two anthology series. The first is BJ Novak’s untitled series and she will also appear in Monsterland for Annapurna Television.