Know this: Natalie Portman pitched Zach Braff a Garden State jukebox musical

Zach Braff, the director behind the beloved indie film Garden State, has floated the idea of transforming the movie into a musical, according to recent conversations. While discussing his past on the sitcom Scrubs and his role in BoJack Horseman with fans on The Guardian, Braff was approached by a fan named "Haggisneepsnfatties," who inquired whether Braff had ever thought about making a sequel to the 2004 romantic comedy.

Braff's response? That the concept of a Garden State sequel had crossed his mind, though he had not been able to envision it in a tangible form. "We did an anniversary concert for the soundtrack last year—we got most of the bands together and did a charity show for the Midnight Mission in Los Angeles—and that was really cool," Braff recalled, his voice tinged with nostalgia as Coldplay's "Don't Panic" echoed in the background.

The conversation took an unexpected turn when the fan mentioned that Braff had discussed the possibility of turning Garden State into a musical. Intrigued, Braff shared Natalie Portman's suggestion: "Natalie Portman was there. I had told her that people have come to me about doing a musical of the movie. I love musicals, but I’ve always thought: ‘I don’t know if that I want to do that.’ Then she said: ‘Why don’t you do it with the songs from the soundtrack?’"

Although the idea has not yet been brought to fruition, Braff remains open to the possibility, saying, "I haven’t taken any steps to make it a reality. But I do daydream of somehow using the music that people love so much from the soundtrack to make it into a musical." As fans across the web were treated to soothing tones from artists like Zero 7, Thievery Corporation, and Nick Drake, the potential for a Garden State musical continues to resonate in the realm of cinematic possibilities.