Lin-Manuel Miranda, the mastermind behind Hamilton, is planning to make a ‘scrappy’ movie of his other beloved musical, In the Heights.
When the show came to Broadway in 2008, there were plans to make a $37 million dollar movie directed by Kenny Ortega (who’s behind Newsies and High School Musical). But because Miranda wasn’t deemed a big enough name to bring in an audience, Universal decided to not move forward. Now, Lin-Manuel Miranda is everywhere. Hamilton is a phenomenon. It’s beating juggernauts like The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, and Wicked at the box office. Critics and fans are finding that it’s living up to the ridiculous hype.
But despite the success, Lin-Manuel Miranda isn’t slowing down. A week after opening on Broadway, there are talks of opening Hamilton in London. And then this morning, Miranda announced plans to make an In the Heights movie. It’s getting a $15 million budget, that he says “is more in keeping with the spirit of the show.” We agree. The budget won’t be an issue. I don’t think the movie will be a box office success but I think it will be a good movie. The musical lends itself to the screen. It can definitely work.
Lin-Manuel Miranda is at the top of his game this year. His show on Broadway is one of the biggest successes of the decade. And now he’ll get to move one of his other musicals to the big screen. His career is only getting bigger. His career is only reaching new heights.
Ultimate Broadway 