Proshot vs Film Adaptation - What's the Difference?

The terms proshot and film adaptation are thrown around often when talking about Hamilton on Disney Plus or upcoming projects like In the Heights or Dear Evan Hansen.

So, what's the difference? Are the terms interchangeable? The answer, to put it simply, is no.

But there's no need to be confused-- we're here to define both terms, share some upcoming proshots and adaptations, along with where to watch some of our favorites!

Do you have a favorite proshot or adaptation? Share it with us on social media on our Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook!

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What does proshot mean?

A 'professionally shot' film or proshot is when a stage production is filmed live on stage. This process takes place typically at the theater where the show takes place, with the cast in full costume, filming scenes multiple times from multiple angles. When it is edited together in post-production, the professionally shot footage is pieced together to create a film-like experience!

Which proshots are in the works?

Come From Away

The cast of "Come From Away" will create a filmed-live version of the hit musical at Entertainment One. The show was captured live in May of 2021, and will be filmed in the show's Broadway home at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. It is scheduled to be released in September of 2021.

Diana

Diana will soon get a royal welcome on Netflix. The musical, which played for nine previews at the Longacre Theatre before Broadway shut down on March 12, will premiere on Netflix this year ahead of the Broadway opening. The proshot will be released on October 1, 2021.

Where can I stream some proshots?

See a full list of musicals & shows you can stream from home here!

Hamilton (2020) - Disney Plus

Without a doubt one of the most powerful and impactful musicals to hit Broadway in decades, Hamilton tells the story of the real life of one of America's foremost founding fathers and first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Captured live on Broadway from the Richard Rodgers Theater with the original Broadway cast - including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Renee Elise Goldsberry, Phillippa Soo, Jasmine Cephas-Jones, Daveed Diggs, and more!

Newsies: The Broadway Musical (2017) - Disney Plus

Filmed live on stage at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, CA, this is a not-to-be-missed high energy show starring Original Broadway cast members, including Jeremy Jordan, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Ben Fankhauser, Tommy Bracco, and more! If you love high-energy dance, Christopher Gattelli's choreography will shine through for you.

Shrek: The Musical (2013) - Netflix

Make room for ogre-sized family fun as the greatest fairy tale never told comes to life in a whole new way in this breathtaking Broadway musical adaptation of the hit movie Shrek! Brian d'Arcy James and Sutton Foster star as Shrek and Fiona in this pro-shot musical.

What the Constitution Means to Me (2020) - Amazon Prime

Fifteen-year-old Heidi Schreck earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. A filmed version of the critically-acclaimed, award-winning play is available to stream on Amazon Prime. In the final, record-breaking week of its hit Broadway run, director Marielle Heller captured the play at the Helen Hayes Theater.

Falsettos (2016) - BroadwayHD

Nominated for five 2017 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, Falsettos is a hilarious and poignant look at a modern family revolving around the life of a gay man Marvin, his wife, his lover, his soon-to-be-bar-mitzvahed son, their psychiatrist, and the lesbians next door. Originally created under the specter of the AIDS crisis, this timely musical about middle-class family dynamics manages to remain buoyant and satirically perceptive even as it moves towards its heartbreaking conclusion.

She Loves Me (2016) - BroadwayHD

She Loves Me follows Amalia and Georg, two parfumerie clerks who aren't quite the best of friends. Constantly bumping heads while on the job, the sparring coworkers can't seem to find common ground. But little do they know the anonymous pen pals they have both been falling for happen to be each other! Will love continue to blossom once their identities are finally revealed? Starring Laura Benanti, Zachary Levi, and Jane Krakowski.

David Byrne's American Utopia (2020) - HBO Max

Spike Lee documents the former Talking Heads frontman's brilliant, timely 2019 Broadway show, based on his recent album and tour of the same name. The concert plans to return to the stage in 2021, but, until then, you can experience the brilliantly filmed production in its entirely on HBO Max.

What does film adaptation mean?

A film adaptation is taking stage source material and adapting it to screen. This might mean changes will be made to the original show, whether that's changing the order of songs, adding new musical numbers, or even adding new characters! The possibilities are endless when it comes to film adaptations because it's a new medium rather than a Broadway stage.

Which film adaptations are in the works?

There are multiple film adaptations rumored or in pre-production. Here are a few that we know the most about!

For a full list, check out our Always Up-to-Date Schedule of Musical Film Adaptations!

Everybody's Talking About Jamie - September 17, 2021

Jamie may be coming along to save 2021... And you don't even know it. This hit West End musical based on the true story of teenage drag queen Jamie New is a powerful celebration of heart, uniqueness, and the power of creativity.

Richard E. Grant, Max Harwood, Sarah Lancashire, Lauren Patel, Shobna Gulati, Ralph Ineson, and Sharon Horgan round out the cast.

Dear Evan Hansen - September 24, 2021

Ben Platt will reprise his Tony-winning performance in the film, which features a star-studded cast including Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Amandla Stenberg, Kaitlyn Dever, Danny Pino, Colton Ryan, Nik Dodani and more. Plus, new characters have been added including Isaac Powell as Rhys, DeMarius R. Copes as Oliver, Gerard Caesar as Josh, and more.

West Side Story - December 10, 2021

Steven Spielberg's starry remake of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece was pushed back a full year due to the ongoing pandemic. But we have it coming up in 2021!

Newcomer Rachel Zegler stars opposite Ansel Elgort and Broadway mainstays like Ariana DeBose, Mike Faist, Brian d'Arcy James, David Alvarez, Ben Cook, and Maddie Ziegler. Film's original Anita, Rita Moreno, even joins the cast in a reminaged version of the "Doc" role.

tick, tick... BOOM! - TBA, Fall 2021

The musical is set in 1990 and follows Jon, an aspiring theater composer who waits tables in New York City while writing "Superbia," which he hopes will be the great American musical that will finally give him his big career break.

Speaking of big career breaks, this film adaptation is the directorial debut of one Lin-Manuel Miranda (maybe you've heard of him?). Andrew Garfield, Joshua Henry, Vanessa Hudgens, Robin de Jesús, Bradley Whitford, Judith Light, Alexandra Shipp, and Mj Rodriguez round out the cast.

Wicked - TBA

While the Wicked film has been in pre-production for quite some time, we recently learned of an exciting development! Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights director Jon M. Chu has taken over the project as the new director and promises "I will protect this vigorously and hopefully bring a few new surprises along the way."

Where can I stream some film adaptations?

See a full list of musicals & shows you can stream from home here!

The Prom (2020) - Netflix

The latest film adaptation that was released in December 2020 features a stacked cast of Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannells, Ariana DeBose, Kerry Washington, Keegan Michael-Key, Kevin Chamberlin, and newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman. One thing's universal-- you don't want to miss this adaptation, which was recently nominated for a Golden Globe.

Les Misérables (2012) - Netflix

In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever. Starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, and Amanda Seyfried, with an impressive ensemble including Aaron Tveit, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Helena Bonham Carter, this adaptation of Boubil & Schonberg's masterpiece is not one to miss.

West Side Story (1961) - Netflix

Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy. Get ready for next year's Spielberg-helmed remake with the Academy Award-winning best picture original, featuring all the song and dance you know and love from the Bernstein/Sondheim Broadway musical.

Into the Woods (2014) - Disney Plus

Starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski, Johnny Depp, this adaptation of the beloved Stephen Sondheim musical intertwines multiple Brothers Grimm tales. The film even received three nominations each for Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards.

Annie (1999) - Disney Plus

In 1933, during the Great Depression, 11-year-old orphan Annie Bennett was left on her own at an all girls orphanage when she was an infant. This is the 1999 made-for-television edition of the musical film, starring Broadway favorites Audra McDonald, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth, Victor Garber, and Kathy Bates!

Hello, Dolly! (1969) - Disney Plus

Matchmaker Dolly Levi travels to Yonkers to find a partner for "half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder, convincing his niece, his niece's intended, and his two clerks to travel to New York City along the way. Fresh off Funny Girl, a young Barbra Streisand stars in this first film adaptation of the classic musical.

The Last Five Years (2015) - BroadwayHD

Based on the hit musical by Jason Robert Brown, a struggling actress (Anna Kendrick) and her novelist boyfriend (Jeremy Jordan) recount the rise and fall of their 5 year love affair.

Cats (2020) - HBO Max

In the long-awaited film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's wildly successful stage musical, a tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life. Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Swift, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, and more make up the star-studded cast.

Chicago (2002) - HBO Max

Two death-row murderesses develop a fierce rivalry while competing for publicity, celebrity, and a sleazy lawyer's attention. The musical film adaptation, starring Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones, took home the Academy Award for best picture.

Hairspray (2007) - HBO Max

It's another film adaptation of a musical that started as a different movie! Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local TV dance show. John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Elijah Kelley, Queen Latifah Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Nicky Blonsky, and so many more make up this excellent ensemble cast.

The Phantom of the Opera (2004) - HBO Max

A young soprano becomes the obsession of a disfigured and murderous musical genius who lives beneath the Paris Opéra House. What could be considered Andrew Lloyd Webber's masterpiece comes to life on the big screen, starring Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, and more.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) - Hulu

Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter star in the infamous story of Benjamin Barker, aka Sweeney Todd, who sets up a barber shop in London which is the basis for a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett. The Sondheim classic operetta was directed for the screen by Tim Burton.