It was announced in 2020 that Gyllenhaal and his production company had secured the rights to make a movie-musical of FUN HOME, starring Gyllenhaal as Bruce Bechdel. No further development has been announced. I'll believe it when there's a director and cast onboard.
That said, in a dream scenario... Jake Gyllenhaal as Bruce and Amy Adams as Helen, with both finally winning Oscars for these roles. Directed by the brilliant Céline Sciamma.
Here’s the initial article that was picked up by BWW and Theatermania. No other major entertainment news outlet like Variety, The Hollywood Reporter or Deadline reported it ever.
Like so many other projects announced in 2020, this is effectively dead. It does not need to be turned into a movie and since these movies take like 15 years to get off the ground, it's really best for everyone.
Exactly, thanks Taf. And Little Shop is well known. Studios are much more focused after Covid on making movies that actually make money. In The Heights, West Side Story and Dear Evan Hansen were all flops, and they were all known shows with large audiences. I love Fun Home and will always cherish seeing it at The Public but it doesn't need to be anything other than an intimate, brilliant musical.
They're probably weighing their options since it wouldn't get made without Jake G attached, but they must be worried about the "straight guy playing a gay character" attacks that will certainly happen.
I’m less interested in seeing this adapted to film, and more interested in seeing Gyllenhaal in that role. Hope he gets to do it someday, maybe onstage.
Unlike a lot of the movie musicals mentioned above, this is a small chamber show that would make a great A24 indie film with a budget of like 9-15 million.
Honestly I would prefer maybe an adaption of the graphic novel instead of an adaption of the musical.
darquegk said: "I think a movie DOES make sense; think of the way animation and live action could blend together in this unique property."
I don't feel a compelling need for this to be made into a movie, but there are things a creative director could do to make it stand out from the stage musical. Animation is an obvious choice, because that's something that can be easily incorporated into a film. But as with a lot of musicals going forward, the budget is going to have to be tight.
I could definitely see this being an indie awards darling, especially if it’s true Amazon picked it up. If it turns out well, they know how to run a hell of an awards campaign, and I could see something like this doing making splash. Only time will tell. I’m cautiously optimistic about its prospects.