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Watch the Trailer for Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Hear from the Creators About the Splashy Movie Musical

October 11th, 2020 | By Lindsey Sullivan

The trailer for the big-screen adaptation of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie has arrived! With it comes some news: the release date for the movie musical adaptation of the Olivier-nominated Everybody’s Talking About Jamie has again shifted. The film will now premiere on February 26, 2021. Broadway.com spoke with the show’s stage and film director Jonathan Butterell, scribe Tom MacRae and songwriter Dan Gillespie Sells about bringing the project from the West End to the silver screen.

“The greatest challenge was that suddenly, in doing a film, so many options were open to us,” said MacRae. “We were spoiled for choice.” Director Butterell echoed MacRae’s words: “It’s joined with the privilege that we were totally and utterly supported in making those choices, and making choices that were big and had scale.” This is clear from the larger-than-life trailer, which features Max Harwood as Jamie.

Inspired by the 2011 documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie follows the title character who, after receiving pushback when he announces he will wear a dress to prom, overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps out of the darkness and into the spotlight. The stage musical, which started performances at the Apollo Theatre in the West End in November of 2017, earned five Olivier Award nominations in 2018, including one for Best Musical. The show has been on hiatus as a result of the coronavirus crisis, which also affected the film’s release.

“We were still editing the film,” Butterell said of the moment when London theaters shut down. “The editing went on hiatus for a little while. We managed to do some pickups about six weeks ago to add some new shots to the film and a little bit of dimension that we hadn’t quite arrived at, and we’re still in edit now. We’re also in the recording studio doing orchestra stuff.” Everybody’s Talking About Jamie‘s score is as appealing as the lead character. “It’s an ode to my favorite pop music,” said Sells. “The movie spreads its wings musically a little bit, but it retains its bounce.”

The trailer’s October 11 arrival is purposeful: the date is recognized as National Coming Out Day. “Coming out can be really hard, but living a lie is really impossible. Jamie is a celebration of the power and the joy of truth. I know from our fans of the stage show, for some people, it’s profoundly changed their lives,” MacRae said. “The greatest privilege will be if our movie can touch even more people around the world. It’s a story for mothers and fathers and cousins and uncles just as much as it is for the Jamies out there.”

Get a glimpse at the trailer below!

 

Read original article on broadway.com