The Queen’s Gambit, the novel by Walter Tevis recently adapted as Netflix’s hit miniseries, can be directed to Broadway as a musical.
Entertainment company Level Forward has acquired the rights to the theatrical stage for the story of the orphan who became a chess prodigy, Beth Harmon, and plans to turn the property into a stage musical.
“It is a privilege for Level Forward to take the lead in bringing The Queen’s Gambit to the stage through the beloved and enduring art of musical theater, ”said Adrienne Becker, CEO of Level Forward, and producer Julia Dunetz, in a statement. “Told through a bold and new point of view, the audience is already sharing the friendship and strength of the women who inspire history who energize and sustain Beth Harmon’s journey and her final triumph. The story is a siren song in the midst of our contemporary struggles for gender and race equality, and we look forward to moving the project forward. “
Details about the creative team and the cast were not announced.
Level Forward productions received a total of 37 nominations for Tony. Notable stage works include What does the constitution mean to me, Oklahoma !, Jagged Little Pill and Slave game.
Published in 1983, The Queen’s Gambit depicts Beth’s journey from Kentucky to Paris, Moscow and beyond, narrating the prodigy’s struggle to overcome “a broken past and the demons of addiction, confronted with the practices and prejudices of a man-centered world.”
The Netflix adaptation, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, received two Golden Globe Awards, two Critics’ Choice Awards and became Netflix’s most-watched scripted miniseries, with over 62 million viewers in its first month.
The deal was brokered on behalf of the Tevis Family Trust by Susan Schulman of the Susan Schulman Literary Agency in New York and Rachel Gould on behalf of Level Forward.