Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon in Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit (Charlie Gray/Netflix)
Film-to-stage adaptations are very popular. In recent months, theatrical adaptations of Dr. Strangelove, The Devil Wears Prada, The Hunger Games, Withnail & I, Cruel Intentions, and Minority Report have been announced.
And then there’s one of Netflix’s most popular properties, Stranger Things, which opens in London next month. Now, according to Deadline, another hit from the streamer is coming to the platform: the chess drama The Queen’s Gambit, based on Walter Tevis’s best-selling 1983 novel.
The new show, which is still in early development, is joined by Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter Mitski to write the music and lyrics, with playwright Ebony Booth on the book, and will be directed by Whitney White.
Booth said, “The Queen’s Gambit is a completely original story of longing for connection and finding your way in life, no matter the obstacles.” “I couldn’t be more thrilled to explore this world in the company of such extraordinary artists.”
Moses Ingram as Jolene and Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth in The Queen’s Gambit (Courtesy of Netflix)
The Queen’s Gambit is about an orphan in 50s Kentucky who happens to be a chess genius. Like the hit series, the novel follows Elizabeth Harmon as she grows up, wins pageants, gets adopted, and struggles with drug and alcohol problems.
Director White said: “Everyone has desires, hopes, aspirations and ideas about who they are and what they can offer the world. The Queen’s Gambit takes us into the story of a brilliant young woman in search of all these things. This is a story that feels like mine and I’m excited to be a part of this extraordinary team reimagining it for the stage.
Details about the film’s cast, its extensive creative team, and the theater that will host the new musical have still to be announced, but that hasn’t stopped fans of the series and composer Mitski from getting excited.
“Mitsky fans are being fed!” One fan on X said, “Aahhh,” said another.
American singer-songwriter Mitski, who has released seven albums, co-wrote the track This Is a Life for Everything Everywhere All at Once. It won the singer an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
The Queen’s Gambit was adapted into a Netflix series in 2020 and became one of the streamer’s biggest hits to date. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon, the seven-parter is still the fifth most-watched English-language series on Netflix today with over 112 million viewers.
Stage adaptations can be huge moneymakers: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which premiered in 2016, has swept the awards, toured the world, and is still running after more than 1,000 performances.
Source
