Andrew Garfield to Star in Netflix Adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s ‘Tick, Tick…Boom!’

It was recently announced that Netflix had hired Lin-Manuel Miranda to make his directorial debut with a film adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s musical Tick, Tick, Boom…, and it has now been revealed that former Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield has been cast as the star.

As Deadline reports, the project is being produced by Imagine Entertainment principals Brian Grazer and Ron Howard along with Imagine’s Julie Oh, and Miranda. The stage show is being adapted by Steven Levenson, who’s best known for the mini series Fosse/Verdon and his work on Dear Evan Hanson.

Garfield will be playing a character inspired by Larson called Jon in this musical that chronicles the playwright’s career. Jon spends his days waiting tables while he works on his musical Superbia, which he dreams will prove itself to be a success and give him his chance. Jon is feeling the pressure as his 30th birthday draws near, his girlfriend is tired of putting her life on hold for him, and his roommate is giving up on his own creativity, moving out, and taking a high-paying job in advertising.

Larson wrote the play Rent, which was critically acclaimed and stands as the 11th longest-running show on Broadway. However, Larson was unable to enjoy the success as he died suddenly the morning of Rent‘s first preview showing. He posthumously won three Tony Awards for Rent.

Garfield was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Hacksaw Ridge, and won a Tony award for Broadway’s 2018 revival of Angels in America, so he certainly has the right credentials for such a role. An exact release window is yet to be announced but no doubt we’ll hear more soon.