David Stone

David Stone’s name tends to pop up whenever someone’s talking about Broadway blockbusters or those film adaptations that actually get it right. Wicked (2024) is the latest addition to his pretty wild resume, and let’s be honest, it’s got people buzzing all over again. He’s the kind of producer who knows how to take a story people already kind of love and amp it up till everyone’s obsessed. Wicked, for instance, is basically the untold story of the witches of Oz—yeah, those witches. But instead of being all black-and-white about good and evil, it digs into how people become legends (or villains), and why the world is so quick to slap on labels. The movie’s got a killer cast, some dazzling visuals, and don’t even get me started on the music. Seriously, “Defying Gravity” hits different when you see it on the big screen. Then there’s The Boys in the Band (2020), which Stone also produced. That movie is a claustrophobic, brutally honest look at a group of friends in New York during a single night that sort of spirals out of control. It’s funny, uncomfortable, and way more raw than a lot of what Hollywood usually churns out. And don’t sleep on Man of La Mancha (2003), either—he brought the classic tale of Don Quixote to a whole new audience, mixing delusion and hope in a way that actually feels uplifting, not cheesy. Stone’s got a knack for picking stories that stick with you long after the credits roll.