Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights Movie Lands at Warner Bros.

In the Heights

Warner Bros. has landed the movie right wing to Lin - Manuel Miranda ’s microscope stage musicalIn the Heights . Miranda is best known these days for pass water U.S. history cool withHamilton , butIn the Heightswas the show that made the beloved composer , lyrist , and actor ’s name . The melodious smasher Broadway in 2008 ( though it began its field of operations running game three eld in the beginning ) and was nominated for a whopping thirteen Tony Awards ( it won four , including Best melodious ) . Universal was straightaway to snap up the film right less than a year after the show ’s Broadway debut .

In the Heightsfeatures music and lyrics by Miranda , as well as a book by Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegría Hudes . The show takes place over the Fourth of July weekend in Washington Heights and follows Usnavi de la Vega ( the role first played by Miranda ) , the owner of a small local bodega . Over the course of the show , the Heights ' largely Hispanic - American citizens are stirred up into a ruckus by blackouts , financial concerns , romantic tension , and the disclosure that one of their neighbors has a bring home the bacon lottery ticket .

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The Weinstein Company picked up theIn the Heightsmovie right wing in 2016 , some four years after Universal determine to cancel the labor . Of course , everything changed when the Harvey Weinstein sex ill-usage dirt broke last fall . in brief after that , Hudes and Miranda asked TWC to allow them to shop the undertaking to other studios . The pair lastly got the film rights back in April andTHRis confirming that the musical is now set up at Warner Bros. instead . Jon M. Chu , who was attach to directthe film back when it was determine up at TWC , stay prepare to helm the movie .

According toTHR , WB was one of several major studio that made a bid for theIn the Heightsmovie . Miranda ’s name was no doubt a bounteous selling point ( maybethebig selling breaker point ) that attracted possible financier to the film . Since his explosion in popularity thanks toHamilton , Miranda has cull up an Oscar nomination for spell the songs to Disney ’s animatedMoanaand co - created the " Jabba Flow " number forStar warfare : The Force Awakens . He ’s also costarring in Disney ’s melodic sequelMary Poppins Returnsand the BBC’sHis Dark MaterialsTV series , in addition to allow the voice of Gizmoduck in Disney XD’sDuckTalesreboot series . do it to say , the valet de chambre is non - stop ( … had to be done ) .

Chu , for his part , is fresh off directing this summer’sCrazy Rich Asiansmovie for WB . He come in from a desktop in dance and music , having guide a distich ofStep Upmovies as well as the TV seriesThe LXD : The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers . LikeHamilton , In the Heightsdraws from an assortment of music styles ( including , freestyle belt and salsa ) and blends them with sloshed terpsichore stage dancing . It will be difficult for a flick to capture the raw energy and vibe of the original stage show , but Chu is a worthy pick to seek and handle the challenge .