Broadway musical Come From Away to become a feature film

The Tony-winning Broadway musical Come from Away is poised to become a feature film.

The Mark Gordon Company announced Wednesday that it plans to produce and finance a movie adaptation of the stage production, which won the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical earlier this year. Irene Sankoff and David Hein, who wrote the books, music, and lyrics for the stage production, are attached to adapt the project for the screen.

Christopher Ashley, who directed the stage production and earned a Tony nomination for his work, will make his feature film directing debut on the project, shepherding his work from stage to screen.

Come From Away tells the true story of the town of Gander, Newfoundland and how they welcomed 7,000 stranded passengers to their tiny community when planes were diverted in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“When we wrote Come from Away we wanted to honor what happened in Gander on the days following 9/11, and our greatest hope was that someday our musical would be performed in schools to share this remarkable true story,” said creators Irene Sankoff and David Hein. “The last year has felt like an amazing dream, with the show traveling across North America (including a stop in Gander) and continuing to play to standing-room-only audiences on Broadway. A film adaptation on gives us the chance to share this celebration of the best of humanity with audiences everywhere. We are happily overwhelmed that people want to see stories about people caring for others with incredible generosity and compassion.”

While further details about the film adaptation are still to be announced, the production is currently playing on Broadway and will launch a North American tour in 2018.

This story has been updated to include further details about the director of the project.