Michael Showalter to Direct Pop Reimagining of CYRANO DE BERGERAC

Four years after the release of the Peter Dinklage musical, a new adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac is on the horizon. Michael Showalter, director of The Big Sick and The Eyes of Tammy Faye, is taking up the directing reins for a pop reimagining of the classic play by Edmond Rostand for Amazon MGM Studios. Deadline was the first to report the news. 

This version, which will be written by Andrea Seigel based on a story by her and Showalter, follows a "behind-the-scenes songwriter in the world of pop stars," according to Deadline. It is unclear whether or not the project will be a musical, or who is contributing to the soundtrack.

Showalter's most recent film was 2024's The Idea of You, starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine. In addition to Cyrano Pop, other upcoming projects are Oh. What. Fun., a Christmas comedy debuting later this year, and Verity, based on the bestselling novel by Colleen Hoover. Seigel's previous writing credits include Laggies, Handsome, and The Silent Twins. 

Cyrano De Bergerac, originally written in 1897 by Edward Rosand, follows the titular strong-willed poet and swordsman, who thinks he will never find love due to his looks. In the play, he decides to join forces with the handsome but not-too-wise Christian, who, together, attempt to win the love of Roxane, while trying to keep her from learning her secret.

The play has been adapted and reimagined numerous times for the stage and screen. In 2021, a musical film adaptation debuted starring Peter Dinklage. Directed by Joe Wright, the film is based on the recent off-Broadway stage musical adapted and directed by Erica Schmidt. Jamie Lloyd, director of Broadway's Sunset Boulevard and West End's Evita, also helmed a production that played on Broadway in 2012.

Photo credit: Dave Allocca/StarPix/Amazon MGM Studios