The hit Broadway musical, “Hamilton” is headed to movie theaters next year. And there are ten things you need to know.
Number One: On Feb. 3, Lin-Manuel Miranda announced that the Tony-winning musical will be made into a motion picture via Twitter, including the hashtag “#Hamilfilm.” set to be released Oct. 15, 2021.
Number Two: The film is being released in collaboration with Disney. Miranda has worked with Disney in several major projects including the animated film, Moana and a sequel to Mary Poppins entitled Mary Poppins Returns. Disney allegedly paid $75 million to obtain the rights to create the “Hamilton” movie. Robert Iger, Disney chairman, released a statement saying “Hamilton” is “a true cultural phenomenon.”
Number Three: The movie will feature the original Broadway cast including Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo and the rest of Miranda’s right-hand men and women.
Courtesy: Steve Jurvetson on Wikimedia Commons
Number Four: According to The New York Times, the film will not be a Hollywood production, rather a compilation of two filmed performances from 2016. The footage was edited to produce a movie that according to Miranda, will give you “the best seat in the house.”
Number Five: Just last week, Miranda gave an interview with Variety alluding to the movie announcement. When asked about when the world may receive a “Hamilton” movie, Miranda declared it would drop “sooner, rather than later.” However, Miranda expressed hesitation in releasing the movie as he did not want to take away from the current productions. Since the original production was introduced to the Broadway stage, “Hamilton” has established residency in London’s West End. Moreover, the harmonious hit went on the road for a quite lucrative national tour.
Number Six: “Hamilton” made its Broadway debut at the Richard Rogers Theatre back in 2015. The widely successful musical garnered the attention of millions with its hip-hop-inspired score, shattering traditional Broadway conventions.
Number Seven: At the 2016 Tony Awards, “Hamilton” received 16 nominations, a record-breaking number of nominations, and won 11 of them. The musical also received a Grammy for the Broadway soundtrack and a Pulitzer Prize.
Number Eight: Miranda was inspired to write a musical centered around Alexander Hamilton after reading Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography, Alexander Hamilton. Prior to “Hamilton,” Chernow attempted to transform his book into a motion picture, though he struggled to do so. Chernow and Miranda were introduced through a mutual friend. The two assisted each other to create catchy lyrics that were historically accurate for the most part.
Number Nine: Seven years prior to “Hamilton”s first performance, Miranda wrote the music and lyrics for another musical, “In the Heights,” a largely Hispanic based musical that incorporated elements of rap music. The Broadway cast of “In the Heights” featured some “Hamilton” alums, including Christopher Jackson. A movie version of “In the Heights” is set to be released this upcoming summer, featuring Anthony Ramos, a member of the “Hamilton” original Broadway cast, as the lead role.
Number Ten: You can see a live performance of “In the Heights” right here in Tallahassee! The FSU School of Theatre is putting on a production of Miranda’s work from Feb. 14 to Feb. 23. Click here to buy tickets!
No matter what grand project Lin-Manuel Miranda is working on, we know that history will always have its eyes on him.
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