Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton is considered to be one of the best and most successful Broadway musicals in recent memory. It blends hip-hop flavor with a history lesson of Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant whose ideas helped shape America to what it is now. Back by a cast that is diverse in race and gender, it has become a global phenomenon since it’s release. Now Disney has announced that it will distribute and release the musical on October 15, 2021.
A film version of Hamilton has been in the works in the past few years, as noted by Miranda’s tweets before he left the Musical.
1)So far @USATODAY is the only one not burying the lede:
We’re filming the original cast before I go.
WE GOT YOU. https://t.co/O7Vo9LhF7O— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) June 16, 2016
2) What are we doing with that footage?
No idea.
Throwing it in a vault at Gringotts for a bit probly. But we’re getting it.— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) June 16, 2016
Now the press release gives us a small description of how the film will be shown to audiences:
The film of the original Broadway cast performing Hamilton is a leap forward in the art of “live capture.” This movie transports its audience into the world of the Broadway show in a uniquely intimate way. Combining the best elements of live theater and film, the result is a cinematic stage performance that is a wholly new way to experience Hamilton.
It will be interesting to see how Disney will accomplish the “art of ‘live-capture’ that will transport the audience into the world of the Broadway show in a uniquely intimate way.
Miranda has been a presence at Disney studios these past few years, having written songs for Moana, Mary Poppins Returns and is currently writing songs for the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. Not to mention that he also wrote songs for the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy.
But perhaps the best thing about all of this is that the original Broadway cast will reprise their respective roles for the film. That includes Tony Award® winners 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; Tony Award® nominees Christopher Jackson as George Washington; Jonathan Groff as King George; Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton; and Jasmine Cephas Jones as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds; Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison; and Anthony Ramos as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton.
Carleigh Bettiol, Ariana DeBose, Hope Easterbrook, Sydney James Harcourt, Sasha Hutchings, Thayne Jasperson, Elizabeth Judd, Jon Rua, Austin Smith, Seth Stewart, and Ephraim Sykes round out the remaining cast.
“Lin-Manuel Miranda created an unforgettable theater experience and a true cultural phenomenon, and it was for good reason that Hamilton was hailed as an astonishing work of art. All who saw it with the original cast will never forget that singular experience,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “And we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to share this same Broadway experience with millions of people around the world.”
“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 Lin-Manuel Miranda. “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.”
“We are thrilled for fans of the show, and new audiences across the world, to experience what it was like on stage – and in the audience – when we shot this at The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in June of 2016. We wanted to give everyone the same seat, which is what this film can provide,” said Thomas Kail.
