Hamilton's Thomas Kail is Set to Direct the New Fiddler on the Roof Movie
For the second time since its 1964 debut, Fiddler on the Roof is heading to the big screen. Here's what we know so far.
MGM tapped Thomas Kail to direct and produce the film.
He'll be working in collaboration with Dan Jinks and Aaron Harnick on the project. Kail is best known for directing the productions of Lin Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights and Hamilton, and he won a Tony for Best Direction of a Musical in 2016 for the the latter.
Playwright and TV writer Steven Levenson was tapped to write the new script. Levenson and Kail have worked together in the past, developing and producing FX’s limited series Fosse/Verdon, which earned Levenson an Emmy nomination.
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is one of my all-time favorite musicals. So excited to be working on this movie!https://t.co/MN6PAuApUe
— Dan Jinks (@JinksDan) May 28, 2020
Fiddler on the Roof is based on the book Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem.
The classic musical tells the story of a Jewish family living in a pre-revolutionary Russian village. The father works to maintain his and his five daughters’ faith and values despite increasing external pressure to abandon their heritage, as an edict from the Tsar to evict Jews in their small town threatens their livelihood.
Following its 1964 opening, Fiddler on the Roof became the first Broadway musical to surpass 3,000 performances. Notably, it won nine Tony Awards, including Best Director, Best Musical, and Best Score of a Musical. The first film adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof, which came out in 1971 and was directed by Norman Jewison, was nominated for eight Oscars and won three.
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