Musical film based on Come From Away confirmed to be in the works

Creators of Come From Away Sankoff and Hein confirm movie is coming soon

The hit Canadian-American musical, which transferred from Broadway to the West End in 2019, follows the residents of the small Canadian town of Gander where thousands of aeroplane passengers were forced to take refuge after the 9/11 terrorist attacks closed American airspace.

The show, which was running at London's Phoenix Theatre and New York's Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Broadway when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, was created by Canadian husband and wife Irene Sankoff and David Hein, who compiled the real-life stories of thousands of passengers and Gander citizens to create a full-on musical.

Sankoff and Hein initially teased that a movie was being developed back in April 2019, stating in an interview for The Daily Beast that it would be shot on-location in the small Canadian town, with, oddly enough, the film's cast and crew being invited into people's homes just like in the real story.

At the time, casting for the film had yet to be confirmed with Sankoff and Hein hoping to avoid Hollywood altogether: "We don't want Hollywood celebrities in it because we don't want the audience to be taken out of the moment. We want it to be regular people." Gander citizens will have the chance to be extras in the film and actors from the stage version will also be considered for the roles.

After things had gone fairly quiet for nearly 16 months, an update on the big screen adaptation was finally released this week when the couple gave a new interview for The Star in Toronto and confirmed that they had "turned in a draft of the Come From Away movie."

About Come From Away on stage

Irene Sankoff and David Hein provided the music, lyrics, and book for Come From Away, which is directed by Christopher Ashley. The musical features West End casting by Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, hair design by David Brian Brown, lighting design by Howell Binkley, music supervision and arrangements by Ian Eisendrath, musical staging by Kelly Devine, orchestrations by August Eriksmoen, scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, and sound design by Gareth Owen.

The show has won many major theatre awards, including four Olivier Awards (inc. Best New Musical), five Outer Critics Circle Awards, three Drama Desk Awards, one Tony Award, five WhatsOnStage Awards, and four Helen Hayes Awards.

Tickets for Come From Away are now booking from 1 December 2020 until 8 May 2021 from £30 and up.