“Today is all we got, so we cannot stop, this is our block.”
Warner Bros. has released the first explosive trailer for the adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights, based on a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes and a concept by Miranda, from director Jon M. Chu.
The popularity of Miranda’s musicals may have skyrocketed during Hamilton, but the musical creator got his start during In The Heights, which features three intersecting stories about dreamers who are fighting for a better life.
That doesn’t really change in the film adaptation which seems to add a more relevant and timely plot detail about dreamers who are fighting to be Americans and refusing to have their fates and identity controlled by political authority figures. It’s almost as if the film wants to send a message, not with violence but with song and dance. And the result is beautiful and dazzling if it inspirational and hopeful.
Of course, it seems appropriate to have someone like Chu to be the one to visualize this story since he comes from a strong background of folks the blend song and dance with color. The whole film just feels electric.
Here’s the official plot synopsis for In The Heights:
The creator of “Hamilton” and the director of “Crazy Rich Asians” invite you to the event of the summer, where the streets are made of music and little dreams become big… “In the Heights.”
Lights up on Washington Heights…The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is the likeable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life.
Of course since this is just the teaser trailer, it could be just the case that we are only seeing one part of the story. There are still two more that are two parts of it felt. So it will be interesting to see if the film will cover it all.
In The Heights stars stars Anthony Ramos (“A Star is Born,” Broadway’s “Hamilton”), Corey Hawkins (“Straight Outta Compton,” “BlacKkKlansman”), singer/songwriter Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera (TV’s “Vida”), Olga Merediz (Broadway’s “In the Heights”), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Broadway’s “Rent”), Gregory Diaz IV (Broadway’s “Matilda the Musical”), Stephanie Beatriz (TV’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), Dascha Polanco (TV’s “Orange is the New Black”) and Jimmy Smits (the “Star Wars” films).
Written by Quiara Alegría Hudes, In The Heights opens in theaters on June 26, 2020.
