HAMILTON (2021): Hit Broadway Musical Coming to Theaters

Broadway Musical Hamilton is Coming to Theaters

Five years ago it exploded on Broadway. Four years ago it swept the Tonys. Next year, it’ll bow on the silver screen.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the composer and playwright of the smash musical “Hamilton”, revealed on Twitter today that a taped performance of the musical will be released in theaters on October 15, 2021. Both Walt Disney Studios and the Hamilton musical’s twitter feeds also confirmed the news.

The recording of Hamilton (2021) was made in June of 2016 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City, where the musical is still seeing a healthy run. This means that the filmed version will feature the entirety of the original cast, including Miranda as the titular Alexander Hamilton, Daveed Diggs as Thomas Jefferson/Marquis de Lafayette, Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr, Renee Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, and Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, Christopher Jackson as George Washington, and Jonathan Groff as King George.

“What I’m most excited about [is] you all have that friend that is like, ‘I saw it with the original cast,’” Miranda said. “We’re stealing that brag from everyone because you’re all going to see it with the original cast.”

Disney presents:
Hamilton.
With The Original Broadway Cast.
Filmed onstage at The Richard Rodgers Theatre.
In A Theater Near You.
October 15, 2021.#Hamilfilm pic.twitter.com/z4ohfWXzi3

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) February 3, 2020

A long time coming

Rumors have circulated for a while as to whether a taped performance of the musical would be released. The Wall Street Journal first confirmed that suspicion in July of 2018, with a report that the recording was making the studio-bidding rounds.

The rights finally went to Disney, with a sale that is reportedly around $75 million.

“I fell in love with musical storytelling growing up with the legendary Howard Ashman-Alan Menken Disney collaborations,” Miranda elaborated. “I’m so proud of what [Thomas] 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.”

Kail, the director of the stage musical, echoed Miranda’s joy of preserving the experience of seeing the play live. “We wanted to give everyone the same seat, which is what this film can provide,” he said.

A look ahead

This may not be the only cinematic version of “Hamilton” to hit the big screen, either. In early 2017 Miranda hinted at a more direct adaptation that was in the early stages of development, with a screenplay being written by In the Heights playwright and screenwriter Quiara Alegría Hudes. However, news has been rather quiet on that film’s front.

The musical “Hamilton” won 11 Tony awards in 2016, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The original cast recording has been certified platinum six times, and is the best-selling cast album of all time.

This is great news for the fans and uninitiated spectators alike. However, with a release that’s more than a year and a half away, it looks like everyone’s gonna have to…wait for it.

Leave your thoughts on this upcoming release of Hamilton (via Variety) as well as this News Brief, below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more movie news can visit our Movie News Page, our Movie News Twitter Page, and our Movie News Pinterest Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Flipboard.