Movies

'Hamilton' Movie Coming In 2021; "Live Capture" Of The Broadway Cast Was Shot In 2016

Hamilton movie
By Ben Pearson

"Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?" That question of legacy is posed in the final minutes of the smash hit musical Hamilton, and creator/star Lin-Manuel Miranda took no chances when it comes to securing his musical's legacy on film. Back in 2016, Miranda and the Broadway cast shot a "live capture" version of the Tony-winning production on stage at The Richard Rogers Theatre in New York City, and today The Walt Disney Company has announced that it will make that filmed performance available theatrically next year. Get the exact release date and more details below.

A full-blown Hamilton movie may not happen for a while yet, but at least audiences will get to see a filmed version of the Broadway version next year. Disney will release this version of the 11-time-Tony Award-, Grammy Award-, Olivier Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning stage musical in the United States and Canada on October 15, 2021.

We knew this was happening back in 2016, but it was unclear exactly when we'd see the final product. At the time, Miranda joked that they were going to throw the footage into Gringott's until they figured it out:

Here's how the press release describes the upcoming movie:

The film of the original Broadway cast performingHamiltonis a leap forward in the art of "live capture." This movie transports its audience into the world of the Broadway show in a uniquely intimate way. Combining the best elements of live theater and film, the result is a cinematic stage performance that is a wholly new way to experience Hamilton.

This production was filmed over the course of two nights, and I imagine the end result will give audiences the feeling of being in "the room where it happened." It's clear that they've been sitting on this for a while to try to allow the stage version of Hamilton to make as much money as possible while it's still a bona-fide cultural phenomenon, but it seems as if all parties are finally ready to pull the curtain back and let audiences see this incredible musical without having to pay exorbitant prices. Thomas Kail, who directed the off-Broadway and Broadway versions of Miranda's In the Heights and Hamilton, directed this movie, and he also produced it alongside Miranda and Jeffrey Seller.

Here's more info directly from the press release:

The original Broadway cast appearing in the film include Tony Award® winners Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton; Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson; Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler; Leslie Odom, Jr. as Aaron Burr; Tony Award® nominees Christopher Jackson as George Washington; Jonathan Groff as King George; Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton; and Jasmine Cephas Jones as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds; Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison; and Anthony Ramos as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton.

The cast also includes Carleigh Bettiol, Ariana DeBose, Hope Easterbrook, Sydney James Harcourt, Sasha Hutchings, Thayne Jasperson, Elizabeth Judd, Jon Rua, Austin Smith, Seth Stewart, and Ephraim Sykes.

"Lin-Manuel Miranda created an unforgettable theater experience and a true cultural phenomenon, and it was for good reason that Hamilton was hailed as an astonishing work of art. All who saw it with the original cast will never forget that singular experience," said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. "And we're thrilled to have the opportunity to share this same Broadway experience with millions of people around the world."

"I fell in love with musical storytelling growing up with the legendary Howard Ashman-Alan Menken Disney collaborations – The Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast, Aladdin," said Lin-Manuel Miranda. "I'm so proud of what Tommy Kail has been able to capture in this filmed version of Hamilton – a live theatrical experience that feels just as immediate in your local movie theater. We're excited to partner with Disney to bring the original Broadway company of Hamilton to the largest audience possible."

"We are thrilled for fans of the show, and new audiences across the world, to experience what it was like on stage – and in the audience – when we shot this at The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in June of 2016. We wanted to give everyone the same seat, which is what this film can provide," said Thomas Kail.

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