A year ago, a lot of movies that were due for theaters suddenly found themselves delayed indefinitely, from the new Bond to the next Marvel. Another was In the Heights, Warner Bros.’ splashy adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical. In a different, better timeline, it would have come out last June. Instead it’s coming out this June, and a new trailer not only promises a much-delayed blockbuster but also the idea that this summer will almost certainly be far better than the last.
The movie, like the show — which first hit Broadway in 2008, seven years before Hamilton — is set in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, up near the top of the island, amidst a largely Dominican neighborhood. The trailer is also largely set outside, with throngs of people packed together, singing and dancing in unison, in a world that does not yet know the pandemic coming for them. Watching it is, to be frank, extremely emotional, especially after President Joe Biden vowed to make sure everyone’s eligible for vaccines by May, with things returning to something like normal, perhaps even as early as the film’s June 18 release date.
And so this trailer for a movie shot well before the idea of a global health crisis was even a glint in anyone’s eye is more like a glimpse into our future — a time when we can get back to theaters, yes, but when we can once again gallivant about a big, vibrant city, no longer afraid of our fellow humans. And if things are still hairy by the time In the Heights comes out, then at least the finish line isn’t that far off. So watch this trailer, have a happy cry for the joy that’s just over the horizon, and let’s get this done safely.
In the Heights hits theaters and HBO Max on June 18.
