Get the hankies out. Romance 'The Notebook' headed for Broadway

[January 04, 2019]   LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Romantic drama "The Notebook," which sparked a real-life love story between movie stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, is headed for Broadway as a musical.

Singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson told NBC's "Today" show on Thursday that she has been developing the musical for more than a year. Bekah Brunstetter, a producer on the NBC family drama series "This is Us," is writing the show, which will be produced in collaboration with Nicholas Sparks, author of the book on which it is based.

The novel, which chronicles a couple's passion-filled and sometimes turbulent relationship, was published in 1996.

It was turned into a 2004 movie starring Gosling and McAdams as a couple who fall in love in the 1940s, then part and later reconnect. Despite mediocre reviews, the weepie turned into a favorite and has since appeared on multiple best romantic movie lists.

The on-screen chemistry between then little-known Canadians Gosling and McAdams was real. After meeting on set, they dated from 2005-2007 and again for a short period in 2008.

Sparks said he was thrilled to be working on the Broadway adaptation, saying in a statement that the story "is near and dear to my heart."

No casting or opening date was announced for the Broadway show, which follows recent musical adaptations of movies "Mean Girls" and "Pretty Woman."

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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