“You probably never heard by name. Reports of my fame are greatly exaggerated,” Lin Manuel-Miranda sang in the opening number of In the Heights, echoing another great writer.
Now the world knows his name. Hollywood certainly does. Tinseltown is calling upon Miranda again and again after his massive success on Broadway with Hamilton.
In the Heights, Miranda”s first musical to earn some Tony attention (before Hamilton“s record-breaking Tony nomination clean-up), is being developed into a film. It was previously in development at Universal Pictures but was put into turnaround in 2011. Now, THR reported today, a film version is in the works at The Weinstein Company.
Set in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, In the Heights showed off Miranda”s rap skills much like Hamilton has, and it also blended showtune with Latin music and choreography.
Miranda is producing the In the Heights film, but, as The Hollywood Reporter noted, it”s not clear whether he would reprise his role as Usnavi as he”s about 10 years older than when the musical was first conceived.
The news for In the Heights comes just after today”s news that Mary Poppins Returns, starring Miranda and Emily Blunt, will get a December 2018 release date. Miranda”s certainly aware that cinematic history has its eyes on him:
When it rains it pours. When it movies it double movies. Heights is back on.
Quiara's new screenplay is great! https://t.co/XN740GCmA5– Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) May 31, 2016
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Also on the horizon for Miranda in Hollywood: Moana, Disney”s next animated feature. The Hamilton star wrote much of the music for the film.