Chances are if you’re a TV fan, you are familiar with David Hornsby and his incredible body of work. Instantly recognizable from his roles as the deranged Matthew “Rickety Cricket” Mara on FX’s It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and the uptight video game company EP David Brittlesbee on Apple TVs canceled-too-soon comedy Mythic Quest, Hornsby has been entertaining audiences for decades. Though a well-established TV creator (How to Be a Gentleman, Unsupervised) and EP (Always Sunny, Mythic Quest), Hornsby went in a different direction when, during the height of COVID, he and his college roommate, Broadway vet Chris Hoch, decided to try their hand at adapting the 1987 cult classic film, The Lost Boys, for the stage.
“He moved in with my wife and kids for eight months as we worked in LA with this band, The Rescues, who did the music for the show,” said Hornsby when asked about their creative process. “Working on a musical is an all-encompassing endeavor.” Luckily, all that hard work paid off, and The Lost Boys: A New Musical opened to rave reviews over the weekend. Hornsby and his collaborators made painstaking efforts to stay true to the essence of the film while expanding the story for the stage.
“Finding the tone was crucial,” said Hornsby. “Both Sam and Michael are going through major life events when they encounter these vampires. You want the audience to get caught up in their stories.” Somehow, at the same time, Hornsby and company managed to make “people to feel scared of and seduced by these vampires while also taking them seriously.” In addition to finding the delicate balance between the coming-of-age and supernatural elements of the show, the creative team honored the movie by paying tribute to some of its most beloved moments. “We put our little twist on the sax player,” said Hornsby with a laugh. “It’s really just to honor the film.”
Hornsby stopped by the Decider studio to talk about adapting the film for the stage, discuss some of the musical’s exciting new storylines, and reveal the thought process behind the show’s post-curtain call sequence.
DECIDER: I know you say that you didn’t watch The Lost Boys much growing up, but what have you come to love about the cult classic since working on the book for the musical?
DAVID HORNSBY: The average time for writing a musical can be up to seven years. I usually work in TV, which has much shorter windows. I really had to ask myself: “Can I dive into the depths of this story and sing about it?” So yes, I have come to love the movie. I feel like I understand what the film offers, which is the story of a family that is in crisis and trying to start a new life.
You have the story of a 17-year-old boy. You also have the story of a 14-year-old boy. And you have the story of a single mom. I appreciate the film more now for the story elements it’s exploring. And I definitely appreciate the fans because I’m now watching people come to theater dressed up as their favorite characters. There’s just a real love of the movie and that’s really fun to see.
Speaking of seven years, I understand that your co-writer (and college roommate) Chris Hoch moved in with you and your family temporarily while working on this project during COVID times. How did living together again help the creative process?
Chris Hoch and I actually met in high school when we were competing in drama tournaments. He’s from Chicago, I’m from Houston, and we have an Oscar/ Felix dynamic. I’ll let you figure out which one is which [laughs]. He moved in with me, my wife and kids for eight months as we worked in LA with this band, The Rescues, who did the music for the show. We were all in.
Working on a musical is an all-encompassing endeavor. We started with a completely blank page to see where the story would take us. Then, we had to incorporate the music. The Rescues are a great group with amazing music, but they’ve never done story stuff before. It was all hands on deck. Writing a musical is a collaborative artistic endeavor. It was super fun and super challenging at times. Having my old roommate live with me brought up a lot of old issues [laughs], but it was a blast.
How did writing a Broadway musical differ from writing for film/television?
While some things are similar, so many things are different. With a musical, you have a longer timeline. You’re working with a composer—or in this case, a band. You’re working with a theater director who has their own vision. Our director, Michael Arden, was important in the process. He would read the script at various stages and offer notes, like a transition he’s imagining. We had to factor all that in because there would be a set to consider and the transitions would have to be timed out.
You’re really writing towards transitions in theater. There are no close ups. Everything has to have a moment or be spoken out loud. The Palace Theater is a 1600 seat theater. There are people up in the balcony, and the moment has to play to them as well. You have to keep those things in mind, and that was an adjustment for me. You have to have characters say either other’s names so people know who that person on stage left is talking to when there are groups of characters. Sometimes, it’s those little simple things.
It’s clear that the team made great efforts to pay tribute to the original film while adapting the story for a 2026 audience. How difficult was it to find that balance?
The interesting thing about The Lost Boys is its tone, which I think makes it unique. At the time, the movie was shocking to people. It was both sexy and funny and felt relatable as opposed to something like Dracula. It’s a vampire story that feels accessible.
We thought a lot about the spirit of the film while writing the music. You’re mixing humor; you’re mixing drama. Both Sam and Michael are going through major life events when they encounter these vampires. You want the audience to get caught up in their stories. At the same time, you want people to feel scared of and seduced by these vampires while also taking them seriously. Finding the tone was crucial.
Is there a new storyline in the show that you’re particularly proud of? I think Sam accepting his queerness is going to have a positive impact on audiences.
Yeah, I think that will hopefully speak to young audiences. Sam’s queerness was there in the DNA of the movie. I mean, he’s a kid that had a Rob Lowe poster in his closet! Director Joel Schumacher also layered in his fashion choices to make the audience realize that “hey, this kid is his own unique person.” So, that’s something we wanted to bring forward.
The themes of family and chosen family were important. We also developed the abusive husband/father as the trauma that the Emersons are running from. I’m proud of that storyline because it fleshed out the family much more. We’re always tried to expand the story while hopefully staying true to tone of the film.
I was very glad you included some of the film’s most iconic lines in the book for the musical. Did you have a list of the lines that were most important to you?
It’s funny. So many people work together when creating a musical. Along the way, everyone has their own idea of what they think is an iconic line. There were always great debates about what lines to include. However, the question I do get asked most is, “do you have the shirtless, greased up sax player?” [Laughs] We included him to serve the fans, but mostly I think we wanted to honor the film. We put our little twist on the sax player so the character feels particular to this production.
I’ve never seen a Broadway musical with a post-curtain call scene. What was the thought process behind that?
Yeah, Michael Arden has a great vision for the theater. That throw forward scene is a bit shocking. It’s fun. It feels experiential. It helps encapsulate what we’re trying to do, which is pay tribute to something familiar that we all love, but also elevate it. It’s another way to surprise fans. The Marvel Cinematic Universe created the throw forward at the end of the credits. It felt like we were adapting and updating that a little bit for today’s audience.
I know Kiefer Sutherland is a producer on the show, but have there been any other members of the original cast you’ve heard from?
No, but I’m excited to see if there’s any engagement. Warner Brothers is producing it. Kiefer showed up to one of our workshops and came on to the production. I’ve spoken with him a bit. Any vote of confidence from him or anyone who was a part of the movie is important to us. Lauren Shuler Donner, Richard Donner’s wife, has been a part of the show, fostering it to make sure it comes to the stage in a way that we’re all proud of. All of their participation means a lot.
The Lost Boys: A New Musical is now playing at the Palace Theatre in NYC.
