Following the immense success of Hamilton, it shouldn't come to any surprise to see Lin-Manuel Miranda dominating Hollywood. The multi-hyphenate talent is known for working tirelessly as an actor, writer, and producer. That tradition will continue with a broad number of intriguing films and TV shows set for release in the next few years.
Whether it's starring in a blockbuster HBO series, writing original music for a couple new Disney projects, bringing a passion project to life, or jumping behind the director's chair for a new Netflix musical, it's clear that Miranda is keeping himself plenty busy and we'll expect to see his talents extended to a wide variety of high-profile projects as his star continues to rise.
If you're a big fan of Miranda, then you've got a lot to look forward to in the months and years ahead. But it can also be hard to tell when some of these anticipated projects are expected to be released amid COVID-19 related delays. Nevertheless, we're here to let you know what upcoming projects Miranda has in store in the not-too-distant future.
His Dark Materials Season 2 - November 2020 (Post-Production) - Actor
One of Lin-Manuel Miranda's first big projects following Hamilton's extensive Broadway run was HBO's series adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. In the role of aeronaut Lee Scoresby, Miranda plays one part of the show's extensive main cast, and he's also on-board with its forthcoming second season.
Shot back in September of last year, production on this Season 2 seems to be unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and these upcoming eight episodes are currently scheduled for release sometime in November. While the second season was already confirmed awhile back, it remains unclear if Season 3 is happening. So, it's not yet known whether or not Miranda plays his role — extensively or otherwise — in this potential season follow-up. But we'll have to wait to cross that bridge. In the meantime, His Dark Materials Season 2 is Miranda's next project slated for release.
Vivo - June 4th, 2021 (Filming) - Composer/Screenwriter
In the years ahead, Lin-Manuel Miranda will be applying his creative strengths to a high number of intriguing and exciting projects. One of these projects is Sony Pictures Animation's Vivo, a passion project that Miranda previously pitched to DreamWorks Animation all the way back in 2010. It got picked up by Sony in 2016.
Vivo tells the story of a capuchin monkey with a thirst for adventure and a passion for music who travels from Cuba to Florida to live out his dreams. Since the Hamilton creator is involved, it should come as no surprise to know it's a musical, though it's Sony Pictures Animation first time working in this genre. In addition to co-writing the story alongside Peter Barocchini (High School Musical), Miranda wrote 11 original songs for this new movie. It's currently slated to come out on June 4th, 2021.
In The Heights - June 18th, 2021 (Post-Production/Completed) - Actor/Producer/Music and Lyrics
Before Hamilton, there was In the Heights. The Tony-winning musical, which went off-Broadway in 2007 and on-Broadway in 2008, became Lin-Manuel Miranda's calling card before Hamilton made him a household name. Therefore, it was only a matter of time following the phenomenal success of Miranda's second Tony-winning musical before Hollywood circled back to his original smash hit.
Directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), In the Heights is produced by Miranda and it stars Hamilton's Anthony Ramos as Usnavi de la Vega, whom the writer/composer played during the original stage run. While Miranda is too old to reprise this role in this new movie, the actor/writer provides a brief turn as Mr. Piragüero. Originally scheduled for a summer 2020 release, In the Heights was delayed to June 18th, 2021. Miranda claims that he'll continue to be working on the film amid its postponement.
The Little Mermaid - November 19, 2021 (Filming) - Composer/Songwriter/Producer
It was only a matter of time before Disney took us back under the sea. The Mouse House has been eager to return to the well when it comes to several past animated favorites, and The Little Mermaid is one of the next ones on the docket.
Director Rob Marshall (Chicago, Into the Woods) is set to direct, while Halle Bailey will play Ariel with a supporting cast that includes Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. Additionally, Lin-Manuel Miranda is attached to produce, compose and write new songs for this live-action musical. As for when you can expect to see it, it's currently left a bit unclear. Filming officially began again in August following a production shutdown in March. It's rumored to come out on November 19th, 2021.
Encanto - November 24th, 2021 (Filming) - Writer
Lin-Manuel Miranda found a great deal of success for his Oscar-nominated music work in Moana. Therefore, it was a given that they would collaborate again in the not distant future. Sure enough, Disney and Miranda will reunite for the upcoming animated film Encanto, which will tell the story of a young woman and her family (all of whom are gifted with superpowers — except her) living in Latin America.
Directed by Zootopia's Jared Bush and Bryon Howard, as well as Charise Castro Smith, this animated musical is set to be released on November 24th, 2021. While other details are limited at this time, it's known that Miranda is serving as a writer on this project and he will be writing original songs.
Tick, Tick... Boom - TBA (Pre-Production) - Director/Producer
As the driving creative force behind Hamilton, it was only a matter of time before Lin-Manuel Miranda jumped behind the director's chair. Sure enough, two years ago, Miranda announced that he would helm a film adaptation of Tick, Tick... Boom!, Jonathan Larson's semi-autobiographical musical about an aspiring composer having a midlife crisis before his 30th birthday.
With a screenplay by Dear Evan Hansen's Steven Levenson, this movie wouldn't be Miranda's first filmmaking endeavor, as he previously directed 1996's hard-to-find micro-indie Clayton's Friends, but it'll be Miranda's first directorial feature after the immense success of his two Tony-winning productions. In addition to calling the shots, Miranda also serves as a producer alongside Ron Howard and Brian Glazer. Netflix will distribute it. Production started in March of this year but it was shut down in April. There's currently no release date announced.
Rita Moreno: The Girl Who Decided To Go For It - TBA (Pre-Production) - Executive Producer
In a career spanning over 70 years, Rita Moreno has proven her talents many times over in West Side Story, Singin' in the Rain, The King and I, and many acclaimed stage productions. She's an Emmy winner, a Grammy winner, a Tony winner, and an Oscar winner, thus making her an EGOT. And these are only a few of her incredible accomplishments. Moreno is an outstanding performer and many people have sung her praises over the years, including Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The stage actor/writer/composer is clearly fond of the Puerto Rican actress, and he's teaming up with legendary TV producer Norman Lear (One Day At A Time) to make the tentatively titled documentary, Rita Moreno: The Girl Who Decided To Go For It, as part of PBS' American Masters series. Miranda is an executive producer.
The Kingkiller Chronicles - TBA (Announced) - Producer/Composer
Based on the fantasy series by Patrick Rothfuss, The Kingkiller Chronicles will be yet another Hollywood opportunity to ignite a fantasy franchise. It's hard to know whether or not it'll take off or fizzle out, but the movie adaptation is clearly attracting some major talent. In addition to Sam Raimi being attached as the director, Lin-Manuel Miranda will also serve as not only a producer but a composer on the film.
Evidently, Miranda appears to be very excited about the prospect of turning this fantasy series into the next big-budget blockbuster attempt at a fantasy trilogy. He has talked openly about his passion for the project, which should hopefully prove to be fruitful whenever (or if ever) it gets picked up. Admittedly, with so many projects left on his plate, who knows when Miranda will have any time to make it happen.
Suffice to say, Lin-Manuel Miranda is a busy man and he's keeping himself plenty busy by working on several exciting new projects following the incredible success of Hamilton. When we can expect to see them all remains a mystery, but we'll keep you posted on the latest details whenever they arrive right here at CinemaBlend. But first, we want to hear more from you. Specifically, which upcoming Lin-Manuel Miranda project are you most looking forward to seeing? Let us know in the comment section below!
