Ryan Murphy to make Netflix film of queer musical The Prom
Pose director Ryan Murphy has won numerous awards for his work. (Kevin Winter/Getty)
Ryan Murphy has revealed that he’s making a film adaptation of queer musical The Prom for Netflix.
The out creator of record-breaking trans-themed show Pose, Glee and American Horror Story made the announcement on Tuesday (April 9) at New York’s Longacre Theatre, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The musical is about a lesbian teenager in Indiana whose high school prom is cancelled after she asks a girl to the event.
The Prom has been on Broadway for six months. (Jenny Anderson/Getty)
Murphy’s film is due to air on Netflix in September 2020, making it the first to be released through his groundbreaking deal with the platform.
He said this scheduled release date, just weeks before the next US presidential election, was no coincidence, adding: “I’m really tired of hearing about bad news and [Donald] Trump.
“I want to see entertainment that is optimistic and uplifting.”
Ryan Murphy uses The Prom to fulfil a pro-LGBT+ pledge
Murphy’s adaptation of The Prom means he is following through on a promise he made last year to “champion LGBTQ heroes and heroines” in his Netflix projects.
He explained on Instagram that he chose the musical, which has been on Broadway since October, because he saw it as “one of the most uplifting, heartfelt and special musicals I have ever seen on Broadway.
“It’s truly an original that celebrates the underdog and says in a loving spectacular way that LGBTQ rights are human rights.”
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Speaking at the Longacre Theatre before a performance of The Prom, he said he “was absolutely blown away” when he first saw the show in December.
He recalled: “I cried at the end from pure joy, which has not happened to me since Patti LuPone was the flower girl at my wedding.”
Murphy continued: “I wish this show was around when I was a kid,” before saying that he also grew up in Indiana and was banned from bringing a same-sex date to his senior prom.
“We want to change hearts, minds and votes.”
— The Prom producer Ryan Murphy
“I protested by wearing six-inch yellow platform boots,” he revealed.
The producer added that he is aiming to make a difference with the Netflix film. “We want to change hearts, minds and votes,” he told the audience.
The Prom has already made a national splash
In November, The Prom sparked an outpouring of joy after its Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade performance featured seemingly the parade’s first ever live lesbian kiss.
The passionate embrace, which took place during a performance of “Build a Prom,” was broadcast by NBC to an estimated audience of 50 million people who tuned in for the annual parade through the streets of New York City.
Multiple same-sex partners danced together during the number, which included a kiss between the main characters, played by Caitlin Kinnunen and Isabelle McCalla.
