Posted in: Movies | Tagged: broadway, Crazy Rich Asians, In The Heights, jon m chu, lin-manuel miranda, The Weinstein Company
Lin-Manuel Miranda's 'In The Heights' Movie Looking For Buyers This Week
Lin-Manuel Miranda isn't just "Hamilton Guy", even though many will know him soley for that. Before he was rapping about the nation's founding fathers and changing the face of Broadway, Miranda had another notable but less well known hit show called "In The Heights".
That musical chronicles a mostly hispanic group of denizens of the Washington Heights area in New York, a tightly knit community where everyone knows each other. Think of it like Sesame Street, but without Muppets.
Director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) has been pitching the project to studios this week after the rights to the film reverted following The Weinstein Company….entanglements….and things are looking promising.
Back when the Weinstein scandal broke, Quiara Alegría Hudes, who wrote the book for the original musical and penned the script for the film, posted on her twitter about the situation.
"Harvey Weinstein's sexual predation is despicable enough, but combined with his staggering power it's insidious, even devilish. Decades. He thrives on this. He build an empire in this. It's been hard for me to sleep at night. My stomach is in knots. Forget the platitudes about 'I have a daughter' (which I do). I have friends, I have a mom, I am a woman. Harvey did not act alone. He had powerful enablers in his company and at the top tier of the criminal justice system. I hope there is an ethical investigation into Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance's role in enabling Harvey Weinstein's illegal behavior."
Miranda backed her up, and their respective reps managed to get the rights to the film adaptation back from the company.
Deadline reports that multiple offers for the project came in, and a decision is expected by next week. Chu is expected to direct the film, and the outlet goes on to say that he brought along a visual presentation to accompany his pitch. Apparently Miranda joined the team via phone.
In The Heights won four Tony Awards during it's initial Broadway run.