Not surprised: Broadway producers have made their move, and it’s checkmate. They’ve optioned “The Queen’s Gambit” to be a musical.
Press release follows. No creatives yet. But you can imagine actresses climbing over each other to get the part played by Anna Taylor-Joy.
press release:
New York, NY (March 8, 2021) – Level Forward, the story-driven, impact-minded entertainment company, has acquired the theatrical stage rights to Walter Tevis’ The Queen’s Gambit, and is developing the novel as a musical.
The Queen’s Gambit tells the story of Beth Harmon, an orphan turned chess prodigy. The novel, published in 1983, depicts Beth’s journey from Kentucky to Paris to Moscow and beyond. It is a chronicle of a young woman’s struggle to overcome a broken past and the demons of addiction, set against the practices and prejudices of a male-centered world.
Recently adapted into a Netflix miniseries, “The Queen’s Gambit” received two Critics’ Choice Awards last night: Best Limited Series and Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for Anya Taylor-Joy’s portrayal of Beth Harmon. Last week, it received two Golden Globe Awards: Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television. After just four weeks, “The Queen’s Gambit” became Netflix’s most-watched scripted miniseries with over 62 million viewers in the first month.
“It is a privilege for Level Forward to lead the charge of bringing The Queen’s Gambit to the stage through the beloved and enduring craft of musical theater. Told through a brave and fresh point of view, audiences are already sharing in the friendship and fortitude of the story’s inspiring women who energize and sustain Beth Harmon’s journey and ultimate triumph. The story is a siren call amidst our contemporary struggles for gender and racial equity, and we’re looking forward to moving the project forward,” said Level Forward CEO Adrienne Becker and Producer Julia Dunetz.
The deal was brokered on behalf of the Tevis Family Trust by Susan Schulman of the Susan Schulman Literary Agency, New York and Rachel Gould on behalf of Level Forward.
