Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac is one of those stories that has been adapted many times through the years. But that doesn't stop people from trying it again and again. The latest to tackle the idea is Joe Wright, who has a movie musical version in the works starring Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Brian Tyree Henry and Ben Mendelsohn.
This take comes from Erica Schmidt, who happens to be a powerhouse theatre writer/director/actor, and who staged the play at the Goodspeed Opera House’s Terris Theatre in 2018 with her husband (one P. Dinklage) in the title role and Bennett as Roxanne, the indirect object of his affection. Schmidt wrote the book, while the music and lyrics come from The National’s Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner and Matt Berninger, with additional lyric work from their regular collaborator, Carin Besser.
Wright has just seen his latest film, The Woman In The Window snapped up by Netflix from Disney, which had planned to release it theatrically.