Lin-Manuel Miranda’s wildly popular stage musical Hamilton is finally headed to movie theaters. Disney will debut a film version of the Broadway play to release in US and Canadian theaters on October 15, 2021.
This release comes following an arrangement between The Walt Disney Company and Miranda, producer Jeffrey Seller, and director Thomas Kail.
To be clear, this isn’t a Hollywood adaptation of the original play, but a recording of a live Broadway performance featuring the original cast on stage at The Richard Rodgers Theatre. Disney’s press release touts a technology called “live capture,” with the goal of capturing the energy of a live performance while also giving viewers an intimacy that usually isn’t possible from a stage musical.
For those somehow still unfamiliar with the wildly successful musical, Hamilton is a dramatization of the life of Founding Father and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, tracing his story from his arrival in New York City at the dawn of the Revolutionary War through his ill-fated duel with rival Aaron Burr in 1804. The musical features a unique combination of hip-hop, R&B, soul, and show tunes to help examine Hamilton’s story through a modern lens.
Hamilton has met with widespread critical and commercial acclaim since debuting on Broadway in 2015. Tickets remain a hot commodity even now (with online bots ramping up the demand even further). The play has also inspired numerous pop culture homages and parodies, including a recent Easter egg in Gears of War 5.
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The cast featured in the film recording includes Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, Leslie Odom, Jr. as Aaron Burr, Christopher Jackson as George Washington, Jonathan Groff as King George, Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, Jasmine Cephas Jones as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds, Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison and Anthony Ramos as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton.
“I fell in love with musical storytelling growing up with the legendary Howard Ashman-Alan Menken Disney collaborations – The Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast, Aladdin,” said Miranda in a statement. “I’m so proud of what Tommy Kail has been able to capture in this filmed version of Hamilton – a live theatrical experience that feels just as immediate in your local movie theater. We’re excited to partner with Disney to bring the original Broadway company of Hamilton to the largest audience possible.”
Though Miranda no longer regularly performs in Hamilton, he’s been keeping plenty busy of late. Miranda currently stars in the HBO fantasy series His Dark Materials. He also wrote a new song featured in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, as well as having a brief cameo appearance in the movie. Miranda’s upcoming projects include writing new music for Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
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While it may be a while yet before Hamilton is actually adapted for film, Miranda fans will soon find out how another of his famous plays makes the transition from stage to screen. Warner Bros.’ adaptation of In the Heights is hitting theaters in June 2020, and is one of many films we’re excited for in 2020.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Source: IGN.com Hamilton Movie to Release in October 2021 from Disney