Disney is not throwing away their shot. Lin-Manuel Miranda himself shared the news today on Good Morning America that the filmed version of his iconic musical Hamilton will drop this July 3 on Disney+, more than a year earlier than audiences were expecting. The movie is a capture of the stage show, filmed in 2016 with the entire original cast, which we’ve known about for years but which no fan has seen.
Disney’s Bob Iger brought in Miranda on a video chat on GMA to make the announcement.
JUST IN: @RobertIger and @Lin_Manuel Miranda announce the filmed version of “Hamilton” coming to @DisneyPlus July 3rd! https://t.co/hhsPclrwpn pic.twitter.com/XcrfdxGOJR
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 12, 2020
This is a big deal. As noted, we’ve long been aware that a fully filmed performance of Hamilton with the original cast was out there. Hope and speculation that the movie might see the light of day “sooner than later” started in January thanks to an interview with Miranda, and then a week later Miranda officially announced that Hamilton would hit indeed cinemas …. in on October 5 of 2021.
That was exciting, but it was a long way off. But of course, that was also a lifetime ago when we still had access to things like movie theaters and Broadway shows. Now we’re stuck any home and who knows when theaters will open. It’s a good time for this to be available, and as Bob Iger mentioned in the announcement, it’s also an opportune time for a story of people coming together against adversity.
Before coronavirus ruined everything for everyone, Miranda was set to have a big release this summer with another movie: In The Heights, the cinematic version of his first musical, starring Hamilton alum Anthony Ramos, was set to bow in theaters in June and already getting awards buzz, but that release has now been pushed to 2021. This means that Hamilton and In The Heights have essentially switched years, which is a compromise we’re totally fine with.
Hamilton’s new release date direct into homes on Disney+ is also a pretty good one: July 3. With Americans more likely than not to be marking Independence Day at home and away from large crowds, what better way to celebrate than with an iconic work of American art about the birth of America?
This is truly great news for theater fans and audiences, and we can’t wait to raise a glass to freedom (safely in our homes) in July.
(via Entertainment Weekly, image: screengrab)
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