The Mark Gordon Company announced Wednesday that it has acquired the film rights to the Tony-winning musical “Come From Away,” which will be adapted for the screen by the show’s book and music writers, Irene Sankoff and David Hein.
“Come From Away” was nominated for seven Tony Awards this year, winning for Best Direction while earning a nomination for Sankoff and Hein.
The musical tells the true story of a small Canadian town of Gander, Newfoundland, who took in 7,000 airline passengers whose flights were diverted on the day of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.
Mark Gordon, whose credits include “Saving Private Ryan” and the current “Murder on the Orient Express,” will produce the film, with eOne handling worldwide distribution.
“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,” Sankoff and Hein said in a statement. “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.”
MGC’s Sara Smith and Jenna Berger will oversee the project for the company.