‘La La Land’ makes jump to Broadway for Westport native

The 2016 musical comedy

“La La Land” made waves when it was released, breaking box office records and racking up a number of awards including seven Golden Globes, six Oscars and two Grammy awards.

The movie, which stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, is anchored by music from composer Justin Hurwitz and lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the latter of whom is a Westport native.

Now, a Broadway musical based on “La La Land” is in development, according to Deadline. The musical will be helmed by veteran Broadway director Bartlett Sher. At one point in his career, he served as the associate artistic director for the Hartford Stage in Hartford. The musical will contain the original work of Hurwitz, Pasek and Paul.

“I’m thrilled to reunite with Lionsgate and the incredible team behind ‘La La Land’ to adapt the movie for the Broadway stage, the next exciting chapter in its evolution,” producer Marc Platt told Deadline. “We’ve assembled a worldclass team to create a musical that will delight ‘La La Land’s’ millions of current fans and introduce the property to a whole new audience.”

No casting details or opening timeline have been announced.

Paul attended the Music Theatre of Connecticut School of Performing Arts, Coleytown Middle School and Staples High School. Paul was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but was raised in Connecticut from a young age. His parents, Rhonda and David Paul, inspired him musically as a child.

“A lot of that musical inspiration comes from my parents, who weren’t trained musicians, but they always played and sang from their hearts, and that instilled a love of music for me from a very early age,” Paul told Hearst Connecticut in 2017.

Paul met his writing partner Pasek at summer orientation for college in 2013 and their partnership on both film and the stage has garnered the pair numerous awards including multiple Tonys, Grammys, Golden Globes and even an Academy Award. The duo have worked on a number of recognizable projects including “Dear Evan Hansen,” “The Greatest Showman” and Spirited.”

Dale Robinette/ Associated Press file photo Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in a scene from “La La Land.”

Ian West - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul with the award for Best Original Song for “City of Stars” from “La La Land” in the press room at the 89th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif.