The upcoming stage musical adaptation of La La Land has rounded out its creative team with two of the people who helped fashion the look and movement of the hit 2016 film: Choreographer Mandy Moore and costume designer Mary Zophres have signed on.
Also joining the team as production designer is 59 Studio, the Tony-winning studio that created the visual effects for Stranger Things: The First Shadow, among other credits. Edward Pierce will serve as design collaborator alongside 59 Studio.
The hires were announced today by producers Lionsgate and Marc Platt, and they join previously announced director Bartlett Sher, book writers Ayad Akhtar and Matthew Decker, and composer Justin Hurwitz and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
In making the announcement today, producers credited Moore and Zophres with crafting “the film’s memorable dance sequences” and “distinctive, color-driven costume design.”
A three-time Emmy winner, Moore has choreographed So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. Zophres is a four-time Oscar nominee, most recently for Babylon.
59 Studio’s stage design work includes The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (with Sher and Moore), Sting’s The Last Ship (2026 world tour), Stranger Things: The First Shadow, An American in Paris and War Horse. The studio has also created work for the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. The studio is now part of Journey, the experience agency combining design, storytelling and technology.
Jenefer Brown, President, Global Products & Experiences, Lionsgate, said in a statement, “La La Land has always been about the marriage of music, movement and visual storytelling, and with Mandy Moore and Mary Zophres reuniting alongside the talented artists of 59 Studio, we’re honoring what audiences love about the film while finding new ways to bring its romance, emotion and artistry to life on stage.”
Based on the 2016 film written and directed by Damien Chazelle, La La Land follows an aspiring actress and a jazz musician as they pursue their dreams in Los Angeles. The film won six Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Original Song.
The stage adaptation of La La Land is produced by Platt and Lionsgate Global Products & Experiences.
Additional details, including casting, performance dates and venue information, will be announced in the coming months.
Today’s announcement from Lionsgate follows last week’s news that the studio will bring a Dirty Dancing to Broadway for the first time. Other projects either in the works or already are stage from the studio include the upcoming Broadway run of Now You See Me Live, The Hunger Games: On Stage in its second year in London, and an upcoming stage adaptation of the film The Housemaid.