Lin-Manuel Miranda revealed that cast for his film adaptation of “Octet” on Tuesday morning — and naturally, the list includes some beloved Broadway veterans.
In a post to Instagram, Miranda teased that rehearsals have begun for the movie musical, alongside a photo of a sign-in sheet signed by each cast member. The adaptation stars Amanda Seyfried as Jessica, Rachel Zegler as Velma, Sheryl Lee Ralph as Paula, Phillipa Soo as Karly, Gaten Matarazzo as Toby, Jonathan Groff as Henry, Tramell Tillman as Marvin and Paul-Jordan Jansen as Ed.
Miranda, of course, has history with Soo and Groff, as both starred in the original Broadway cast of “Hamilton,” and returned for the pro-shot released on Disney+.
The rest of the actors are also Broadway vets across various shows, save for Seyfried, who has only appeared Off Broadway thus far. That said, she is also very much known for starring in the film adaptation of “Mamma Mia!” — one of the most famous Broadway shows of all time — and its sequel.
“Octet” begins with eight Internet-obsessed people who meet in a church basement and lock their phones in a box. The story then follows the group as they chart their compulsions “using only the analog vibrancy of their own voices,” per the official synopsis.
From the mind of Dave Malloy, the show debuted in 2019. He is set to write the screenplay, adapting his own book of a musical for the big screen, and will also serve as executive producer on the film.
“Octet” marks Miranda’s second directorial feature, after “Tick, Tick… BOOM!” with Andrew Garfield in 2021. That film was adapted from the Jonathan Larson musical, about the playwright himself.
