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Dec 11, 2020
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Advertisement The newest cast member for the Dear Evan Hansen movie has, well, been found. EW has confirmed that Amandla Stenberg is joining the film’s cast as one of Evan's high school classmates. Universal Pictures is adapting the movie from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s Tony Award-winning musical, which opened on Broadway in 2016 and tells the story of the anxious and socially awkward Evan Hansen, who gets trapped in a lie when he pretends to have been close with a classmate who died. Stenberg will play Alana, a high schooler whose seemingly cheery disposition hides an inner loneliness. The role is being reconceived and expanded for the film, and Stenberg will also sing a new original song (which she’s co-writing with Pasek and Paul, who wrote the original music and lyrics for the show). Ben Platt, who originated the role of Evan on Broadway, is expected to return for the film, while Booksmart’s Kaitlyn Dever is in talks to play his love interest Zoe. Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) is directing from a script by Steven Levenson, who wrote the book for the original stage musical. Stenberg is best known for starring in 2018’s The Hate U Give and most recently appeared in the Netflix series The Eddy. Earlier this summer, Platt teased his potential involvement in the film while chatting with Jimmy Fallon for The Tonight Show. "We're kind of in this weird COVID limbo where anything can happen," Platt said at the time. "It's something that we've definitely been trying to get together to make happen. I know Universal [Pictures] really wants to make the film. It's a toss-up at this point just based on, can we do it safely and can we get it together in time?" Related content: Ben Platt on possible return for Dear Evan Hansen film: 'It's a toss-up at this point' Kaitlyn Dever in talks to star in Dear Evan Hansen film adaptation Watch 4 Evan Hansens come together for stirring new rendition of 'For Forever' Comments
Tags: Amandla Stenberg , ben platt , Kaitlyn Dever , Benj Pasek , Justin Paul , Stephen Chbosky
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