Julianne Moore joins Ben Platt in 'Dear Evan Hansen' film

Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Julianne Moore has joined the cast of the new film Dear Evan Hansen.

The 59-year-old actress will play Heidi Hansen, the mother of Evan Hansen, in Universal Pictures' adaptation of the Broadway musical.

Dear Evan Hansen opened on Broadway in 2016. The story follows Evan Hansen, a high school student with social anxiety who gets caught up in a lie after his classmate's suicide.

Ben Platt, who originated the role of Evan on Broadway, will reprise the character in the film. Kaitlyn Dever co-stars as Zoey, with Amandla Stenberg as Alana, Colton Ryan as Connor, and Amy Adams and Danny Pino as Connor's parents, Cynthia and Larry.

Dear Evan Hansen is written by Steven Levenson, who wrote the book for the stage musical. Stephen Chbosky will direct the film, with Marc Platt and Adam Siegel as producers.

Platt said on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon in June that he was hoping for a film adaptation of the musical.

"It's something we definitely have been trying to get together and make happen," the actor said.

Platt plays Payton Hobart on the Netflix series The Politician. In addition to Dear Evan Hansen, Moore will star with Adams in an adaptation of the Tracy Letts novel The Woman in the Window.