Move over,
Spider-Man. Andrew Garfield setting his sights on a new role, and it's a big one. The actor (and one of the internet's many boyfriends) is set to star in the highly anticipated film adaptation of Jonathan Larson's musical
Tick, Tick... Boom! directed and produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda.Garfield shouldn’t need to brush off too many — ahem — cobwebs for this role, being no stranger to the theatre. The British-American actor, loved by many for his role as Peter Parker in
The Amazing Spider-Man franchise, won a Tony Award in 2018 for his performance as Prior Walter in
Angels in America, and was nominated in 2012 for
Death of a Salesman. Though audiences haven't had the opportunity to see him in a musical role yet, Andrew did show off a different side of himself in the series premiere of
RuPaul's Drag Race UK, and even
busted a move down the runway.A ‘jack of all trades’ in his own right (playwright, singer, actor, rapper... we could go on)
Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda will make his feature directorial debut with
Tick, Tick... Boom!, a story sure to resonate with audiences (and Miranda himself) familiar with the trials and tribulations that come along with finding success in a big city.Joining Lin-Manuel Miranda behind the scenes is Tony-winning
Dear Evan Hansen writer Steven Levenson, who will adapt Larson's stage show for the screen, and Jonathan Larson's sister Julie Larson, who will executive produce. Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are also on board as producers, with production planned to begin in January 2020.[video_embed id='1771195']Ron Howard & Brian Grazer tease big 'Tick, Tick... Boom!' news at TIFF[/video_embed]Set in 1990 in New York City, the semi-autobiographical musical revolves around the character of "Jon" — the role
Garfield will play — based heavily on composer and playwright Jonathan Larson himself. Larson wrote the musical shortly before
Rent, which would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1996 (an honour Lin-Manuel Miranda would also receive in 2016 for
Hamilton). Sadly, Larson died tragically the night before
Rent’s first Off-Broadway preview performance, and it wasn’t until after his death that the show became a worldwide sensation.Originally written as a musical monologue,
Tick, Tick... Boom! was revamped as a three-actor musical following the success of
Rent, and premiered Off-Broadway in 2001. The show provides audience members with an intimate glimpse into Larson’s experience as an aspiring theatre composer, waiting tables in New York City while writing the musical he dreamed would be his ‘big break’… one which would launch him to Broadway stardom.While casting details for the roles of Susan and Michael have yet to be announced, the project already packs enough star power in front of, and behind the scenes, for fans to be excited. So should we start memorizing all the lyrics now, or later?
