Hamilton is the biggest Broadway musical in years, and it was only a matter of time before it came to the big screen in one form or another. Earlier this year it was announced that form would be a filmed production of the Broadway show, that was set for theatrical release in October of 2021, but Disney just dropped a second Hamilton-shaped bombshell this morning by revealing the movie will instead hit Disney+ this July instead. But that decision has fans asking, one big question. Will the play remain identical to its stage version?
This is because the Broadway script of Hamilton includes some adult language. Specifically, it includes the use of the word that begins with F and, under the right circumstances, gets your movie rated-R. This has led to many wondering aloud since this announcement if Disney+ will edit out the F-word when the play debuts on the streaming service.
The question of language was already a question when Disney announced the studio would be distributing Hamilton. Disney has, in the past, had separate film divisions that were designed to allow the company to release more mature content, but with Hamilton set to be a true "Disney movie" many were wondering if the language might be cut out.
However, with Disney+ now becoming the home for Hamilton, the question becomes all the more relevant, because Disney+ already has a history of editing out the F-word. The Oscar winning National Geographic documentary Free Solo included people using the word that was cut out. The same is reportedly true for the original Adventures in Babysitting, which, while it's not available on Disney+ right now, reportedly was on the service for a while using the television edit, which replaced a single F-bomb.
The question of adding an age gate to particular parts of Disney+ is being brought up by some. Currently one has the ability to set up a kids profile, which removes more grown-up material, but using an adult profile gives one access to everything on the service without age gates or other restrictions.
While the Hamilton movie should technically be rated PG-13 based on its content, and there's a lot of PG-13 material on Disney+, it does seem clear that for Disney as a company, there's more in the calculation than that. Disney now owns Hulu and the understanding is that more adult content can still come from Disney, and it will just go to the other streaming service.
Considering that this is already a big question that a lot of people have, there's a good chance will get an official answer before Hamilton hits Disney+ on July 3.
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