Undoubtedly, 2010 is a big year for award-winning rock band Green Day. In addition to the release of the Rock Band: Green Day video game this June, 2010 is also the year that Green Day’s music is being immortalized in the American Idiot Broadway musical. The show, which is directed by Spring Awakening‘s Michael Mayer with music supervisors Tom Kitt and Green Day, is currently in its inaugural run at the St. James Theatre in New York, NY.
American Idiot tells the story of three small-town guys growing up in post-9/11 America. They each go their separate ways — one joins the armed forces, another moves to the city and picks up a drug habit, and the third stays home and impregnates his girlfriend. The musical first opened at Berkeley Repertory Theater, with Tom Hulce and Ira Pittelman producing, and in addition to its previews at the St. James Theatre this week, American Idiot opens to the public on April 20, 2010.
Not surprisingly, talks are underway with Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman to turn American Idiot into a feature film. The last stage-to-screen project that Playtone was involved with was the Abba musical Mamma Mia!, which failed to impress critics but became something of a cult classic with audiences, grossing $610 million worldwide. According to several sources, Hanks and Goetzman have a first-look deal with Universal, but little else is known about the possibility of an American Idiot screen adaptation.
For more information on American Idiot on Broadway, visit the show’s official web site, where you can download the “21 Guns” video, featuring American Idiot cast members and Green Day.
