Amanda Seyfried & Rachel Zegler to Join Musical Pic ‘Octet’

(Left) Amanda Seyfried as Nina Winchester in ‘The Housemaid’. Photo: Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate. (Center) Tramell Tillman in ‘Severance’, now streaming on Apple TV+. (Right) Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ Photo Credit: Murray Close.

Preview:

Amanda Seyfried, Rachel Zegler and Tramell Tillman will appear in musical adaptation ‘Octet’
Lin-Manuel Miranda is directing the movie.
It follows people struggling with digital dependence.

Going full speed ahead on musical adaptation ‘Octet’, director Lin-Manuel Miranda (no stranger to stage work himself), has found the cast for the movie version.

Miranda hit social media to reveal a cast led by Amanda Seyfried, Rachel Zegler and Tramell Tillman.

And that’s just three: the ensemble will also include Sheryl Lee Ralph (‘Abbott Elementary’), ‘Stranger Things’Gaten Matarazzo, Jonathan Groff (‘Frozen’) and Paul-Jordan Jansen (‘Most Beautiful Island’).

Lin-Manuel Miranda to Direct Film Take on Off-Broadway Musical ‘Octet’

What’s the story of ‘Octet’?

The New York cast of stage musical ‘Octet’. Photo: Joan Marcus/WNYC Studios.

With a script and score by Dave Malloy, directed by Annie Tippe, the show follows an octet of people struggling with digital dependency, charting their compulsions using only the analog vibrancy of their own voices. With witty lyrics, shimmering harmonies and virtuosic solos, ‘Octet’ sings of connection, redemption, hope — and how we can be truly present with each other.

It opened off-Broadway on May 19, 2019, at the Signature Theatre in New York City, before ending its run on June 30. That was followed by a west coast premiere with a five-week run at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2022.

‘Octet’: Lin-Manuel Miranda talks

94th Oscars® nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda arrives at the Oscar Nominee Luncheon held at the Fairmont Century Plaza on Monday, March 7, 2022. The 94th Oscars will air on Sunday, March 27, 2022 live on ABC. Credit/Provider: Michael Yada / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Here’s Miranda’s statement on tackling the musical for the screen:

“I haven’t stopped thinking about ‘Octet’ since I saw Annie Tippe’s premiere production in November of 2019. Dave Malloy’s score is versatile, brilliant and grows more relevant with each passing year. It won’t leave me alone so here we are.”

Lin Manuel Miranda at the Governors Ball following the live ABC Telecast of The 92nd Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 9, 2020. Credit/Provider: Kate Noelle / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.