Stage Adaptation of "High Noon" to open on Broadway in 2023

KevinKlawitter said: "Written by Eric Roth (his Broadway debut), directed by Michael Arden"

Interesting. "High Noon" is one of my all time favorite films. I make it a point to watch it every year. Hoping they cast this with some interesting folks. 

1) Who thought this story needed to be on Broadway?

Eric Roth (one of the most in-demand screenwriters of adaptations the past 25 years) and Paula Wagner (a well-connected film/stage producer who used to be Tom Cruise's business partner) did. That doesn't mean it will automatically be successful, but it could be interesting.

2) Why is Michael Arden interested?

Because it could offer interesting opportunities to work with star actors (assuming there will be a star) and visual storytelling onstage. It's also a nice paycheck. And his longtime collaborator Hunter Arnold is the other lead producer.

Paula Wagner told me right to my freaking face just the other day that she is not producing anything on Broadway anytime soon, so yeah, this is “interesting” all right. 

JSquared2 said: "Matt Rogers said: "Paula Wagner told me right to my freaking face just the other day that she is not producing anything on Broadway anytime soon, so yeah, this is “interesting” all right."



That's what she always says to waiters who try and pass along their headshots while she's trying to enjoy her lunch. This project has been in the works for awhile, and deals have been made.

"

I’m not a waiter. 

Could be intriguing in the right hands, but I suspect any producer would want stars to drive this.

Curious who has the stoic earnestness to play Will Kane, and the purity to embody Amy Fowler?

nasty_khakis said: "I assume this is different from the High Noon adaptation the Axis Theatre Company produced a few years ago?"

 

Yes, it doesn't appear as though they're connected in any way, despite sharing source material.

I have no knowledge of this film, but I'm intrigued by the idea of a Western onstage, and I agree that Michael Arden's involvement piques my interest. That isn't to say that everything he does is good (his Annie at the Hollywood Bowl was pretty meh, and I didn't hear good things about his Merrily). But still, he's demonstrated skill, intelligence, and creativity in both of his Broadway directorial outings, so he's earned enough artistic goodwill in my book to give him the benefit of any doubt.

fashionguru_23 said: "As with many things that are announced somewhat out of the blue, I will be believe it when it happens."

Yes, for a project like this I expect they are hoping for a star or two, and this announcement is a classic way of saying to agents "hey, this project is real!" As with other producers using this strategy, all timelines will be star-dependent.

Someone posted not long ago on another thread that it was mentioned on a recent ABC 7 NY Broadway special as coming this fall.

Updated On: 4/16/23 at 03:44 PM

Network, Elling, Festen, The Graduate, Misery, A Time To Kill, Dead Poets Society...New York theater and American theater in general doesn't really go for straight play adaptations of products that most people know from film. 

verywellthensigh said: "Network, Elling, Festen, The Graduate, Misery, A Time To Kill, Dead Poets Society...New York theater and American theater in general doesn't really go for straight play adaptations of products that most people know from film."

Network got great reviews and recouped, so I'm not sure why that's on this list.The only other success I could think of is The 39 Steps.

Misery also recouped. And of course there's also To Kill A Mockingbird and Harry Potter.

The only thing that matters here is the star. Without one, it would be near impossible to recoup, let alone raise the investment.

KevinKlawitter said: "Now available for licensing

Did anyone see this when it played the West End?"

I did. The writing is absolutely perfunctory, but it makes great use of an overhanging clock to track the real time actions (like Oedipus). Billy Crudup and Denise Gough somewhat sold it and Rosa Salazar was a standout as a femme fatale, but they all did some VERY heavy lifting