‘Little Voice’ Star Colton Ryan To Play Connor In ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Movie

Within the theatre community, one of the most exciting projects in recent memory is the planned big-screen adaptation of Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen. In 2017, the show cleaned up in most of the big categories at the 71st annual Tony Awards. The musical, whose cast originally featured the incredibly talented Ben Platt in the titular role, has gone on to become one of the most successful and beloved musicals of all time. According to Deadline, Little Voice star Colton Ryan will join the cast of the upcoming musical in a pivotal role.

Ryan will star in the film as Connor Murphy. Connor is the catalyst of the entire story as his suicide sets the narrative in motion and Platt’s Evan Hansen immerses himself into his family in the aftermath. West Side Story star Mike Faist played the role in the original broadway cast. Ryan currently stars as Samuel in Apple TV‘s Little Voice. The series, which hails from J.J. Abrams and Grammy winner Sara Bareilles, has quietly gathered a large gathering online and continues to deliver quality episodes weekly. Ryan’s on-screen credits also include roles in Homeland and The Americans.

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Moreover, Escape Room star Nik Dodani will also join the film’s ensemble as Jared. Previously, Dodani has appeared in Netflix’s Atypical and the CBS series Murphy Brown. The two young actors will appear alongside the aforementioned Ben Platt, Booksmart star Kaitlyn Dever, and Amandla Stenberg.

Dear Evan Hansen tells the story of a young man with a social anxiety disorder. In order to make a connection with his peers, he fabricates a relationship with a deceased student to become closer to the boy’s family. When the classmate commits suicide, shy Evan Hansen finds himself at the center of the tragedy and turmoil. In an 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.

The musical was penned by The Greatest Showman lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul alongside Steven Levenson. The three creators will serve as executive producers with Marc Platt and Adam Siegel. Levenson will write the film’s script while Wonder director Stephen Chbosky will helm the project.

What do you think? Are you excited about the Dear Evan Hansen movie? Sound off in the comments below!

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