Octet (film)
| Octet | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Lin-Manuel Miranda |
| Written by | Dave Malloy |
| Based on | |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Music by | Dave Malloy |
Production companies |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Octet is an upcoming American musical film directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda as his second feature.[1] Written by Dave Malloy, it is an adaptation of the stage musical Octet. The film will star Amanda Seyfried, Rachel Zegler, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Phillipa Soo, Gaten Matarazzo, Jonathan Groff, Tramell Tillman, and Paul-Jordan Jansen.
Premise
[edit source]"Eight internet-obsessed people meet in a church basement and lock their phones in a box. The musical follows the octet as they struggle with digital dependency, charting their compulsions using only the analog vibrancy of their own voices."[2]
Cast
[edit source]- Amanda Seyfried as Jessica
- Rachel Zegler as Velma
- Sheryl Lee Ralph as Paula
- Phillipa Soo as Karly
- Gaten Matarazzo as Toby
- Jonathan Groff as Henry
- Tramell Tillman as Marvin
- Paul-Jordan Jansen as Ed
Production
[edit source]Producers Julie Oh of Lin-Manuel Miranda's production company 5000 Broadway Productions, Josh Skidmore of Best Kept Secret Productions, and Luis Miranda, Jr., president of 5000 Broadway Productions, announced in April 2026 that Lin Manuel-Miranda would direct a film adaptation of Octet, a musical that debuted off-Broadway at Signature Theatre in 2019, composed and written by Dave Malloy,[2] which won the 2020 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical,[3] among other theatre awards.[4][5] Malloy had invited Miranda and his wife Vanessa Nadal to see Octet, and to Miranda's surprise, Nadal enjoyed it despite not being a fan of musicals. Miranda pursued the project as a feature film, which would be his second directorial effort after Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021).[6]
Malloy would adapt his own book for the screen and serve as an executive producer.[2] Other executive producers of the film include Johnny Holland, Owen Panettieri, and Diana DiMenna.[citation needed] The film is being financed and executive produced by Sander Jacobs, Caren Jacobs, TodayTix Group, Jeffrey Seller, Teresa Tsai, and John Gore for Broadway.com.[citation needed]
Miranda announced the cast, and that rehearsals had begun, on April 14, 2026.[7][8] Filming took place in Yonkers, New York. Filming wrapped on June 12 after a 22-day shoot.[9][6][10]
Casting
[edit source]Miranda worked with his longtime casting director Bernie Telsey for the ensemble. Rachel Zegler and Amanda Seyfried were cast as the film's sopranos, Velma and Jessica, while Phillipa Soo and Sheryl Lee Ralph portray altos Karly and Paula. Jonathan Groff and Gaten Matarazzo play tenors Henry and Toby, and Tramell Tillman and Paul-Jordan Jansen were also included as the film's bass voices, Marvin and Ed. Zegler reached out to Miranda after hearing about the project, while Seyfried was cast after Miranda watched her cover of Joni Mitchell's "California" during her appearance at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Matarazzo and Jansen were recruited by Miranda after seeing them as part of the cast in a Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd. Despite having not seen Tillman's television series Severance, Miranda saw a clip of the show featuring Tillman's character Seth Milchick dancing with a marching band, and knew that he "was musical."[6]
References
[edit source]- ↑ Huston, Caitlin (April 2, 2026). "Lin-Manuel Miranda to Direct Film Adaptation of 'Octet' Musical The a cappella musical, written by Dave Malloy, follows a support group for internet addicts". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Evans, Greg (April 2, 2026). "Lin-Manuel Miranda To Direct Film Adaptation of Musical Octet". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
- ↑ Clement, Olivia; Meyer, Dan (April 14, 2020). "Playwrights Horizons Leads 2020 Lucille Lortel Award Nominations With Strange Loop and Heroes of the Fourth Turning". Playbill. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ↑ "PBreaking: 2020 Drama Desk Awards Nominations- The Full List!". Broadway World. April 21, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ↑ "2020 Obie Awards". obieawards.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- 1 2 3 Murphy, Chris (July 8, 2026). "First Look: Lin-Manuel Miranda's Movie Musical 'Octet'". Vanity Fair. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
- ↑ Marius, Marley (April 14, 2026). "Lin-Manuel's Next Film Has a Very Starry Cast". Vogue. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
- ↑ Evans, Greg (April 14, 2026). "Jonathan Groff, Rachel Zegler And Others Join Lin-Manuel Miranda's Octet". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
- ↑ Sharpe, Josh. "Video: Lin-Manuel Miranda Calls Octet Movie 'Avengers for Theater Kids'". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
- ↑ Miranda, Lin-Manuel (June 25, 2026). "Flashes of June before a mini vacation: June 12: wrap a 22-day Octet shoot". Instagram. Retrieved July 8, 2026.