(L-R) Phillipa Soo, Christopher Jackson, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anthony Ramos attend Lin-Manuel Miranda’s final performance of “Hamilton” on Broadway at Richard Rodgers Theatre on July 9, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)
Nicholas Hunt
A filmed version of the Tony Award-winning musical “Hamilton” will arrive on the big screen in 2021, creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda announced Monday.
Miranda has long teased that the production team had filmed the show with the original Broadway cast but had remained mum about when it would be released and where it would appear.
Disney was ultimately tapped as the distributor and will bring the filmed version of the Pulitzer and Olivier-winning musical to movie theaters on Oct. 15, 2021.
Miranda portrayed Alexander Hamilton as part of the original cast alongside Leslie Odom Jr. (Aaron Burr), Renee Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler), Daveed Diggs (Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson), Phillipa Soo (Eliza Hamilton), Christopher Jackson (George Washington) and Jonathan Groff (King George).
The film was directed by Tommy Kail (“Fosse/Verdon” and “Grease: Live”).
“I’m so proud of what Tommy Kail has been able to capture in this filmed version of Hamilton,” Miranda said in a statement. “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.”
The collaboration between Disney and Miranda isn’t surprising. Miranda starred in “Mary Poppins Returns,” wrote the music for “Moana,” wrote songs for Disney’s “Star Wars” sequel films and is currently working on music for the company’s remake of “The Little Mermaid.”
“Hamilton,” which is still running at the Richard Rodgers Theater in New York, has been the most coveted ticket on Broadway since it debuted in 2015. The show has garnered more than $633 million in ticket sales during that time, according to Broadway World.
“Hamilton” has two touring productions and a home in London’s West End. The show just closed its Chicago residency after nearly four years and had a brief three-week engagement in Puerto Rico in 2019.
The show has premieres set in Toronto, Hamburg and Sydney in 2020 and 2021.
With the aid of Disney, Miranda’s musical will reach more audiences than ever before.
Typically, filmed versions of live Broadway musicals and plays find a home on public cable networks like PBS or straight to home video. Few shows have created the fervor that “Hamilton” has to warrant a theatrical debut and those that have don’t spend long in theaters.
For example, in 2011 footage from three performances of “The Phantom of the Opera” at the Royal Albert Hall were cut together and released in specific European theaters for about two weeks. The filmed musical garnered around $4.4 million.
Due to “Hamilton’s” cultural resonance and how passionate the musical’s fan base is it’s likely that the filmed version will get a much larger release and will be in theaters for much longer.
“There’s not much precedent for this, it’s highly unusual,” Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore said. “If everyone who loves ‘Hamilton’ goes to see it, you could be talking hundreds of millions of dollars. But it’s too early to tell. How close is it to seeing the show live? I think there there will be a huge amount of interest.”
“The box office potential is massive,” he said.