Yahoo Movies Disney pays a historic £57.6 million to release 'Hamilton' performance as a movie
Here’s one less thing to worry about: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical blockbuster, Hamilton, is officially coming to cinemas with the original Broadway cast intact.
The Tony-winning actor and lyricist announced on Twitter that Disney will be releasing the film Stateside on 15 October, 2021, six years after it started its historic run at Times Square’s Richard Rodgers Theatre.
According to Deadline, the Mouse House paid $75 million (£57.6 million) for the rights to release Hamilton, making it one of the largest acquisition deals in movie history. The performance is expected to get a wide global release, but a UK launch date remains TBC.
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
$75 million and a guaranteed "wide global theatrical release" for #hamilfilm. That's a BIG swing. https://t.co/4ST16uyzPw
— Matt Marcotte (@MattMarcotte) February 3, 2020
Unlike past attempts to get the original band back together from beloved Broadway shows — remember that ill-fated Rent film? — the minds behind the Hamilton movie smartly captured the cast in their prime.
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Director Thomas Kail filmed a pair of performances in 2016 before Miranda and other founding performers like Daveed Diggs, Leslie Odom Jr. and Phillipa Soo exited the show, Those recordings have remained locked in the vault as Hamilton went on to tour America and the world.
Miranda, meanwhile, has gone on to star in Mary Poppins Returns, as well as produce a more conventional cinematic adaptation of his first Broadway hit, In the Heights, and make his directorial debut with Netflix’s upcoming Tick, Tick...Boom!
In the interim, bidding rights for the Broadway footage soared as multiple studios competed to add it to their release slates. Disney ultimately won out, and clearly intends to make the most of their investment, turning Hamilton into an experience you won’t want to miss in cinemas, even if you saw it on stage.
To that end, a press release announcing the movie suggests that the 2016 footage will appear in an enhanced version on the big screen. “The film... is a leap forward in the art of ‘live capture,’” the release states. “This movie transports its audience into the world of the Broadway show in a uniquely intimate way. Combining the best elements of live theatre and film, the result is a cinematic stage performance that is a wholly new way to experience Hamilton.”
Read more: Lin-Manuel Miranda makes Star Wars cameo
Not surprisingly, Twitter is ready to be in the room where a Hamilton movie happens, even with the year-and-a-half wait. Miranda is also being congratulated for making the show available to those audiences who can afford a night at the cinema more easily than an evening on Broadway.
THEY ARE GIVING US A HAMILTON FILM LIVE ONSTAGE WITH THE OBC THIS IS HOW ALL FILM ADAPTATIONS OF MUSICALS SHOULD BE, TAKE NOTES
— lily 👑 20 (@orpheuhs) February 3, 2020
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE SHOW AVAILABLE FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T SEE IT ON STAGE THANK YOU THANK YOU
— lin memeuel (@linmemeuel) February 3, 2020
Say what you want about the integrity of theatre but this is nothing but a good thing. Making something like Hamilton - tickets for which are out of reach for most - accessible to anyone on film is huge https://t.co/Vci8A3e1xe
— Jared (@jaredfmiles) February 3, 2020
I hope the inevitable popularity of the Hamilton movie will let Broadway realize that no! dont make a over produced movie with a cast of actors who clearly cannot sing or dance and instead just film it live! it will always be better with MT preformers and thats just the facts
— Orpheus ✨ (@eurydeus) February 3, 2020
On the other hand, there’s a small, but vocal segment of Twitter who would still love to see Hamilton get the full-fledged movie musical treatment. For the record, Black Panther’s Ryan Coogler has already nominated himself as a potential director, and Corey Hawkins — one of the stars of the In the Heights movie — recently told Build Series that he wouldn’t throw away his shot at being in Hamilton. “I know Lin is obviously, hopefully thinking about that, and if he could be thinking about me with that, that’d be great.”
Before y'all get too excited about the Hamilton "movie", just realize they filmed a live performance. It's not a real theatrical *film*. You can already find that on YouTube.
— William Bruce West (@williambwest) February 3, 2020
Also, count me among those who would have loved to see a Hamilton movie that's more than just a filmed stage version. I'll happily see this film next fall. But I'd argue that Hamilton is the kind of musical that could work wonders on a larger stage of sorts.
— Josh Spiegel (@mousterpiece) February 3, 2020
I don't necessarily think releasing this proshot version of Hamilton - thus allowing anyone and everyone who wants to an opportunity to see the original cast - means we'll never see a narrative film of the material.
— Maxwell Haddad (@cinemaxwell) February 3, 2020
I still have a chance to make an actual Hamilton film 👀 https://t.co/vJ4FNyMZWp
— Film Bro™ (@MikeLarone_42) February 3, 2020
Who are we kidding? There’s no way we’re saying no this.
Hamilton opens in cinemas in 2021
