The career of Lin-Manuel Miranda deserves to be compared to a rocket, a spaceship, anything that has reached outer space, the moon, and beyond. In his short 39 years of life, Miranda has received three Tony Awards, three Grammy awards, an Emmy award, a Pulitzer Prize, and an Oscar nomination. He provided the music and lyrics for three Broadway productions, including his first real hit “In the Heights.” He has become a star.
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‘Heights’ follows the happenings of a Hispanic-American neighborhood in Washington Heights in New York City, which Miranda wrote after his freshman year of college. His next big effort turned out to be his most popular, leading to the cultural phenomenon of “Hamilton” with a soundtrack worthy of obsession. “In the Heights” will be the first to receive the Hollywood experience though, as Miranda let Marc Klein (“Serendipity,” “Mirror, Mirror”) pen the screenplay.
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Here is the official synopsis for the film:
A feature version of the Broadway musical, in which a bodega owner has mixed feelings about closing his store and retiring to the Dominican Republic after inheriting his grandmother’s fortune.
The film stars different actors than those on Broadway, and while Manuel will be involved, he’ll be playing a supporting role. From the looks of it, “In the Heights” will be given the full musical treatment in Hollywood, sporting huge musical numbers with big ensembles and a major budget. It will be given the “La La Land” experience, hoping to generate similar awards buzz
The film adaptation will star a relative newcomer in Anthony Ramos (“Monsters and Men”) joining more seasoned performers in Corey Hawkins (“Straight Outta Compton”), comedian Stephanie Beatriz (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), and singer Leslie Grace. If Lin-Manuel Miranda’s fans have anything to do with it, and there sure are many of them, the film might make the entire cast into superstars overnight.
Directed by Jon Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians”), “In the Heights” will stride into theaters on June 26, 2020, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.