Things We Saw Today: It’s Rex Manning Day, and Empire Records Is Getting a Broadway Musical

As someone whose childhood was pretty squarely within the ’90s, the movie Empire Records, which hit theaters in 1995, means a lot to me, and I’m not alone. As fans all over the internet celebrate Rex Manning Day today, there’s something unexpectedly new to be excited about for the 20-year-old comedy classic: It’s getting a Broadway musical adaptation.

A comedy classic that takes place in a record store—with plenty of great music, a hilarious in-universe track, and a climactic rooftop performance—is perfect fodder for just such an adaptation, and we can’t wait to see what they do with it. Zoe Sarnack, who will oversee the show’s music and lyrics, told Vanity Fair, “There’s so much to mine and be inspired by. I’m a huge fan of Nineties alt-rock, and it was a really special time when that style intersected with punk, grunge and even pop. These styles can inform a score that is melodic while still feeling organic, visceral and explosive. Needless to say, this won’t be a ‘traditional’ Broadway score. But excitingly, so many new Broadway musicals are playing with more contemporary styles, so I think theater audiences will dig that.”

• Creepy new John Krasinski/Emily Blunt movie A Quiet Place could’ve become part of the Cloverfield franchise at one point. (via Uproxx)
• Here’s a look at how Mark Zuckerberg has been apologizing for Facebook’s privacy problems for years, which hasn’t solved anything yet. (via Wired)
• You can finally get your hands on your very own pair of Jurassic Park night vision goggles, which you know you’ve always wanted. (via io9)

FX’s Legion is back, and it has gifted us with this weird, wonderful video of Aubrey Plaza and Dan Stevens playing with someone else’s Tinder.

• Tony Gilroy, who stepped in on Rogue One at the last minute, has spoken a bit more about what was going on with the movie at the time. (via Pajiba)
• And we’ll leave you with these:

What did you see out there today?

(featured image: Warner Bros.)

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Dan Van Winkle

Dan Van Winkle (he) is an editor and manager who has been working in digital media since 2013, first at now-defunct Geekosystem (RIP), and then at The Mary Sue starting in 2014, specializing in gaming, science, and technology. Outside of his professional experience, he has been active in video game modding and development as a hobby for many years. He lives in North Carolina with Lisa Brown (his wife) and Liz Lemon (their dog), both of whom are the best, and you will regret challenging him at Smash Bros.

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