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There are hit Broadway musicals, and then there’s Hamilton. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s record breaking musical made the entire principal cast household names, and their performances were immortalized in the filmed stage production that hit Disney+ last summer. Filmmaker Jon M. Chu helmed the new In the Heights movie, and he recently spoke to CinemaBlend about the possibility of directing a Hamilton movie.
Jon M. Chu is perhaps best known for his acclaimed work directing Crazy Rich Asians. As such, moviegoers were thrilled to learn he’d be the man bringing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical In the Heights to life on the big screen. I had the privilege of speaking with Chu ahead of the movie’s release, where I asked about his interest in Hamilton. As you can see in the video above, he got honest about that prospect by saying:
Listen, Hamilton is this beacon of light. This iconic thing. And that’s Tommy [Kail]’s, that’s Lin’s. That’s their whole world. But if they were ever to be like ‘Jon, what would you do with this?’ I’d pitch the hell out of this movie. Let me just tell you that.
Talk about a call to arms. While John M. Chu doesn’t currently have any plans to make Hamilton into a feature film, he’s ready to give his best pitch if the opportunity should arrive. We’ll just have to see if/when Lin-Manuel Miranda moves forward making his musical opus into a full movie.
In our chat about a possible Hamilton movie, Jon M. Chu made it clear that the Tony, Grammy, and Pulitzer winning stage musical was very much under the ownership of Lin-Manuel Miranda and director Thomas Kail. The latter theater legend also helmed the filmed version that was released on Disney+. But after In the Heights hits theaters, fans will no doubt be curious to see what Chu would do with Hamilton. Oh, to be a fly on the wall for his pitch.
In the Heights will arrive on HBO Max on the same day as theaters. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.
The In the Heights movie has been a long time coming, with Lin-Manuel Miranda and company fighting for rights to the film from the Weinstein Company. Plus it was delayed a full year as a result of the pandemic. So it’s unclear if a Hamilton movie is even being talked about. Besides, the massively successful musical is still playing on Broadway, West End, and beyond.
Having seen In the Heights, I’m definitely curious to see what Jon M. Chu would do with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s blockbuster musical. He elevated In the Heights with fantastical elements of movie magic, making for a truly sensory movie experience. Hamilton worked on stage because of its brilliant direction by Thomas Kail, and there’s no telling how immersive it could be for a film adaptation.
In the Heights will finally arrive in theaters and HBO Max on June 10th. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
