NEWS: Come From Away is the latest musical to be made into a film.

The show's creators confirm that a film version of popular contemporary musical, Come From Away is in the pipeline.

A big-screen adaptation of award-winning musical Come From Away is well on its way to reaching cinemas, according to its creators.

The hit musical, which was running both at the Phoenix Theatre in the West End and on Broadway when the pandemic struck, follows the residents of Gander, a small town that is forced to take in thousands of plane passengers after the attacks on the World Trade Centre close American airspace.

The WhatsOnStage Award-winning show is the creation of Canadian husband and wife Irene Sankoff and David Hein, who collated the real-life stories of the Gander citizens and plane passengers, transforming them into a hit musical.

Sankoff and Hein first teased that a film was in the works way back in April 2019, saying in an interview with The Daily Beast that the intention is to film in the small Canadian town, with, ironically, "the film crew, actors and staff being invited in people's homes, just as it was in the story."

Casting for the piece was, at the time, to be confirmed, with Sankoff and Hein hoping to avoid Hollywood fare: "We don't want Hollywood celebrities in it because we don't want the audience to be taken out of the moment. We want it to be regular people." Gander citizens will be able to take on the roles of extras in the piece, and those who have appeared in the stage version will also be considered.

While things have been relatively quiet over the last 16 months, an update was given this week by the pair in a new interview with The Star in Toronto. Apparently work has been progressing, with Hein confirming that the couple had "turned in a draft of the Come From Away movie, that's exciting." Watch this space for further reveals.

Come From Away features a book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein and is directed by Christopher Ashley, with musical staging by Kelly Devine, music supervision and arrangements by Ian Eisendrath, scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Gareth Owen, hair design by David Brian Brown, orchestrations by August Eriksmoen and West End casting by Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher.