'Hamilton' director Thomas Kail to helm 'Fiddler on the Roof' feature adaptation

"Hamilton" director Thomas Kail, the Tony-winning Broadway star, is set to helm a feature film adaptation of beloved American classic "Fiddler on the Roof" for MGM. Kail won the Tony award for his production of "Hamilton". He also oversaw the highly anticipated live filming capture of Hamilton, which will premiere on Disney+ in July. Dan Jinks and Aaron Harnick are attached to produce alongside Kail, reported Entertainment Weekly.

Steven Levenson, who penned the book for Dear Evan Hansen, and was the showrunner for another Kail project, FX mini-series "Fosse/Verdon", will write the script. Kail and Levenson developed and produced "Fosse/Verdon" together and Kail directed five episodes. "Fiddler on the Roof" is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and the book by Joseph Stein. It is set in the Imperial Russia at around 1905 and revolves around a Jewish father of five daughters, Tevye, who tries his best to maintain his religious and cultural traditions. He has to cope with his strong willed daughters who want to marry for love, which moves them further from their tradition amid the edict of the Tsar that evicts the Jews from their village.

The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, became a massive success. It was the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances, a record unbroken for a decade until "Grease" surpassed it. It won nine Tony Awards and has been revived on Broadway multiple times besides a 1971 film adaptation. The film earned eight Oscar nominations, including best picture and best director. "It has been a life-long dream of mine to direct Fiddler, though I always imagined I would do it on stage. I am over-joyed to have the opportunity to make a new film version of my favorite show with Mike DeLuca at MGM, where so many transcendent musical movies have been made. "I'm proud to partner with Dan Jinks, Aaron Harnick and my great pal, Steven Levenson, to honor a work that has profoundly inspired me and millions of others," the director said in the studio's announcement statement.

Levenson said he was beyond grateful to MGM for giving them a chance to bring the popular story to the screen. "'Fiddler On The Roof' was the first piece of theater I saw, at the age of 5. Today, more than 50 years after it changed the face of Broadway forever, the story of Tevye and his beloved village of Anatevka feels more timely than ever," added Levenson in the announcement.

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