Julia Roberts, Mark Ruffalo to star in film adaptation of 'The Normal Heart'

Julia Roberts, Mark Ruffalo to star in film adaptation of 'The Normal Heart'

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Julia Roberts will play Dr. Emma Brookner, who treats several early victims, in 'The Normal Heart.'

PASADENA â€" Ryan Murphy, creator of “Glee” and “American Horror Story,” will direct Julia Roberts and Mark Ruffalo in a new movie version of Larry Kramer’s award-winning play “The Normal Heart.”

Kramer will write the screenplay for the movie, which will film in New York and is scheduled to premiere in 2014.

Set in New York in the early 1980s, the story revolves around sexual politics at the onset of the AIDS/HIV epidemic.

Roberts plays Dr. Emma Brookner, who treats several early victims. Ruffalo will play Ned Weeks, a gay man who sees his friends fall ill and wants answers.

Matt Bomer of “White Collar” plays a reporter who becomes involved with Weeks.

"The Normal Heart” debuted at the Public Theater in 1985 and won five Tony nominations for its 2011 revival on Broadway.