Universal has released the first trailer for the “Dear Evan Hansen” movie, premiering in theaters on Sept. 24.
Ben Platt returns in his Tony-winning titular role in the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical hit created by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
“Dear Evan Hansen” follows Evan Hansen, an anxious and isolated high school student who writes letters to himself. Evan’s classmate Connor Murphy gets a hold of one of his letters and dies by suicide with the note in his pocket, leading Connor’s parents to believe it was a suicide note addressed to Evan. Soon, Evan gets caught in a complicated lie, pretending to have been Connor’s friend and forming a fabricated relationship with the Murphy family.
Stephen Chbosky (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “Wonder”) directed the film from a script by Steven Levenson, who wrote the book that inspired the stage musical. The cast also includes Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Amy Adams and Julianne Moore.
Despite several movie releases being pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic, “Dear Evan Hansen” will likely keep its September date due to an early premium video-on-demand pact between Universal and cinema chains AMC and Cinemark. Under the agreement, the studio can debut new movies on home entertainment after 17 days without fear that major theater circuits will boycott.
“Dear Evan Hansen” opened on Broadway in December 2016 and quickly became a fan-favorite. The musical also dominated the awards circuit, taking home six Tony Awards, including best musical and best actor in a musical for Platt. The original Broadway cast album, which includes the catchy songs “You Will Be Found,” “Waving Through a Window” and “Sincerely, Me,” also won a Grammy.
Watch the trailer below.