It's time to dance! A star-packed cast has been assembled to lead Netflix's upcoming film adaptation of the Tony-nominated musical The Prom. The previously announced movie, produced by Emmy and Tony winner Ryan Murphy, will debut in fall of 2020.
According to Deadline, leading the cast will be three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!) as Dee Dee Allen, Tony and Emmy winner James Corden (One Man, Two Guvnors) as Barry Glickman and two-time Tony nominee Andrew Rannells (Murphy's The Boys in the Band) as Trent Oliver, with Oscar and Emmy winner Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies) as Angie. Ariana Grande (13) was previously reported to appear as Alyssa Greene; Billboard says she is not involved in the film. A nationwide casting search is underway to fill the central role of Emma.
Additionally, rapper and actress Awkwafina will take on the role of the group’s publicist, Ms. Sheldon, and Keegan-Michael Key (Meteor Shower) will portray Emma's ally and Dee Dee's love interest, Mr. Hawkins. Further casting will be announced at a later date.
The Prom follows seventeen-year-old Emma, who wants only one thing before she graduates: to dance with her girlfriend at the senior prom. When the school's PTA finds out, her prom is abruptly canceled. Enter Barry Glickman (Corden) and Dee Dee Allen (Streep), two Broadway stars who decide to take up the cause with their friends (Rannells and Kidman) and get a little publicity along the way. But when they arrive in Indiana to fight on Emma's behalf, their good intentions have a larger impact than they expected.
The Broadway cast includes Tony winner Beth Leavel as Dee Dee Allen, two-time Tony nominee Brooks Ashmanskas as Barry Glickman, two-time Tony nominee Christopher Sieber as Trent Oliver, Angie Schworer as Angie and Isabelle McCalla as Alyssa Greene. Tony nominee Caitlin Kinnunen stars as Emma, with Josh Lamon as Sheldon Saperstein and Michael Potts as Mr. Hawkins.
As previously reported, the full Broadway creative team will collaborate on the screen adaptation, including composer Matthew Sklar and co-book writers Bob Martin and lyricist Chad Beguelin, along with director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw. The musical received seven 2019 Tony nominations and was named Broadway.com's 2018 Show of the Year.