We've wondered for a while when Lin-Manuel Miranda might finally announce that the film of the original Hamilton Broadway cast performing the show would make it into cinemas. Some speculated that it would have to wait for a few more years, as the theatrical sensation continues to hoover up cash in New York and its various tours/other cities. Now, though, Miranda has confirmed that Disney will release the film in October next year.
Cue the internet melting down into a molten mass of The Office "It's happening" gifs and so very many Hamilton images. Disney is describing the show as a "hybrid" of film and theatre, “a leap forward in the art of live capture."
"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," says Miranda. "I’m so proud of what [director] 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," adds Kail. "We wanted to give everyone the same seat, which is what this film can provide."
Shot while the entire original cast was still in place, the show will see Miranda in the lead role, surrounded by the likes of Leslie Odom, Jr. as Aaron Burr, Daveed Diggs as Lafayette/Jefferson, Christopher Jackson as General, then President George Washington, Jonathan Groff as King George III, Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, Anthony Ramos as Laurens/Philip Hamilton and Renee Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler. Work!
The announcement mentions 15 October, 2021, so here's hoping for a day-and-date situation. If you'll excuse us, we're off to fire up the soundtrack for oh, the seventy kajillionth time.