The Queen's Gambit isn't quite ready to call checkmate just yet.
The Netflix hit is being adapted into a stage musical, after entertainment company Level Forward acquired theatrical rights to the tale.
The acclaimed miniseries, which centres around orphan-turned-chess prodigy Beth Harmon, is itself adapted from Walter Tevis's 1983 novel of the same name.
It stars Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role and focuses on Harmon's rise in the male-dominated chess world in the 1960s while struggling with drug and alcohol dependency.
Since premiering on Netflix in 2020, The Queen's Gambit has become the platform's most-watched scripted miniseries, amassing 62 million viewers in its first month.
The show has also racked up two Golden Globe Awards and two Critics' Choice Awards in recent weeks, including Best Actress trophies for Taylor-Joy.
"It is a privilege for Level Forward to lead the charge of bringing The Queen's Gambit to the stage through the beloved and enduring craft of musical theatre," said Level Forward chief executive Adrienne Becker and producer Julia Dunetz.
“Told through a brave and fresh point of view, audiences are already sharing in the friendship and fortitude of the story’s inspiring women who energise and sustain Beth Harmon’s journey and ultimate triumph. The story is a siren call amidst our contemporary struggles for gender and racial equity, and we’re looking forward to moving the project forward.”
Details about production, casting or a possible launch date have not yet been revealed. It has also not be confirmed where the musical will debut, possibly on New York's Broadway or London's West End.
Level Forward has, however, produced several musicals that have been launched in the US, such as Jagged Little Pill, the show inspired by Alanis Morissette's legendary album.
