Rumors have officially hit the wires that Leopoldstadt, Tom Stoppard's latest play which has earned a 2023 Tony nomination for Best Play, will be turned into a television series. Set over the course of several decades, beginning in 1899 Vienna, Leopoldstadt follows the lives of a singular extended Jewish family through to the mid-20th century.
According to Deadline, Steven Spielberg and his production company Amblin are shopping an adaptation by Patrick Marber, to be directed by Stephen Daldry.
Daldry is also a Tony-winning director, having been recognized for his work on The Inheritance, the most recent of his six Broadway credits. Marber directs Leopoldstadt on Broadway, having helmed the show when it made its premiere in the West End at the Wyndham Theatre for which it won an Olivier. But as Deadline points out, it may be some time before anything official happens with the series as the current strike by the Writers Guild of America continues.
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Previews for Stoppard's 19th Broadway show began September 4, 2022 and opened October 2, 2022 (read reviews here). It plays an extended run at Broadway's Longacre Theatre through July 2, and has earned six total Tony nominations. In addition to Best Play, the period drama has a chance to take home wins in Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Costume Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Play, Best Direction of a Play, and Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for Brandon Uranowitz's performance.
Leopoldstadt is the fourth show from the 2022-23 Broadway season to make its way west for a Hollywood treatment. Screen adaptations are already in development or production for Prima Facie starring Tony winner Cynthia Erivo, The Piano Lesson with 2023 Tony nominee Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington reprising their roles from the recent 2023 Tony-nominated Broadway revival, and The Collaboration with the return of its stars two-time Tony nominee Jeremy Pope and Paul Bettany.
Go inside the Broadway production of Leopoldstadt below.