Disney Bringing Broadway’s ‘Hamilton’ to Cinemas
Disney are teaming up with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeffrey Seller, and Thomas Kail to bring the Broadway sensation Hamilton to the big screen next year.
Filmed live at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway across three performances in 2016, the live recording is said to be a “leap forward in the art of ‘live capture’ … combining the best elements of live theater and film” to create “a cinematic stage performance that is a wholly new way to experience Hamilton.”
Once described by as a “story of America then, as told by America now” by its creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton tells the story of America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton from leaving his home on the island of Nevis, through the Revolutionary War and his time in government, to his death in 1804.
According to Deadline, Disney reportedly paid an incredible $75 million for the worldwide rights to the live recording. It’s believed to be the most ever paid for a completed film. But Hamilton is a phenomenon, winning 11 Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2016, and playing to sold out crowds almost continuously since opening in 2015.
In a statement Disney CEO Bob Iger said;
“Lin-Manuel Miranda created an unforgettable theater experience and a true cultural phenomenon, and it was for good reason that Hamilton was hailed as an astonishing work of art. All who saw it with the original cast will never forget that singular experience. And we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to share this same Broadway experience with millions of people around the world”
For his part Miranda, who wrote the music for Disney’s Moana and starred in Mary Poppins Returns, cited the Disney Renaissance of the late eighties and early nineties as inspiring his love of musical theater and storytelling;
“I fell in love with musical storytelling growing up with the legendary Howard Ashman-Alan Menken Disney collaborations — The Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast, Aladdin. I’m so proud of what Tommy Kail has been able to capture in this filmed version of Hamilton — 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 filmed production will feature all of Broadway’s original principal cast and most of the original ensemble. The cast includes Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, and Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr.
Hamilton will hit cinemas on October 15, 2021. The stage production is currently playing in New York, San Francisco, London, and on tour across North America. It is due to open next year in Australia.
SOURCE: Deadline
Chris is a lifelong fan of Disney, Star Wars and super heroes who can’t quite believe this golden age of movies and TV we’re living in. Having written blogs dedicated to Disney’s Aladdin musical and Star Wars Celebration, Chris is excited to be part of the MNN team.
