Glenn Close Details Opening Scene of SUNSET BOULEVARD Movie Musical

Though the recent Nicole Scherzinger-led revival of Sunset Boulevard has concluded its run on Broadway, Glenn Close remains eager to bring her version of the character back to life on the big screen.

For a recent profile in The New York Times Style Magazine, Close, who won a Tony Award for her performance of the tortured Norma Desmond, revealed that she will soon "return her attention" to the long-awaited project.

She also shared details about the opening of the film from the Chris Terrio-penned screenplay. The movie will begin with a montage of the silent film star at the peak of her glory days, a stark contrast to how Joe Gillis- and the audience- finds the character when the story starts.

The film adaptation has been in development hell for years, with Close and Andrew Lloyd Webber shopping it to several film studios. Close originally stated that the film would go into production with Paramount in the summer of 2021. However, at the time, Webber revealed that Paramount ended up passing on it.

In the New York Times piece, the composer reiterated that it is ultimately up to Paramount Pictures as to whether it will get made at all. “She’s tried, I’ve tried, everyone’s tried. Ultimately, it’s going to be their decision," Webber explained. The original 1950 classic celebrated its 75th anniversary this year, but the studio itself has no updates on the remake.

Earlier this year, Close praised Terrio's script on a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, noting, "We're looking for a director." In an update in 2024, she told Variety that the movie is "in the works and I’m not giving up on that one." 

With the recent Tony Award-winning Broadway revival, the musical has found a new audience in recent years, and Close believes the character of Norma continues to remain relevant. "That character is like Hamlet [and] is one of the greatest characters ever written for a woman," she explained to Cohen. "I've done it on stage now twice, and I want to do it on film."

Based on Billy Wilder's classic Academy Award-winning film, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard features a book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton.

Before it premiered on Broadway, the show was first performed in London's West End at the Adelphi Theatre in 1993 starring Patti LuPone, where it ran for almost four years and played to nearly two million people. The American premiere was at the Shubert Theatre in Century City, Los Angeles in December 1993 with Glenn Close as Norma. The musical was an instant success and played 369 performances before moving to Broadway in 1994 with, what was then, the biggest advance in Broadway history, at $37.5 million.

Jamie Lloyd’s recent reimagination of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical was honored with three Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical for Nicole Scherzinger, and Best Lighting Design of a Musical for Jack Knowles. The revival opened on Sunday, October 20, at the St. James Theatre, and closed on July 20, 2025, after 20 previews and 312 regular performances.