Chicagoans may have had to bid a tearful farewell to our beloved “Hamilton” musical last month after an incredible 171-week run at the CIBC Theatre that brought more than $250 million to the city every year of its run that brought the show to more than 2.6 million people including 31,000 Chicago Public School students as part of the “EduHam” Hamilton education program, but now we’re all getting a new opportunity to be “in the room where it happens.”
This week Disney announced that it will give fans their shot to see the original cast of Hamilton in action by bringing a film version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s original Broadway production of the musical blockbuster to the big screen. The film will be a stage performance of the 11-time Tony award-winning musical that was filmed at Manhattan’s Richard Rogers Theatre in 2016.
The film, scheduled for release in North America on Oct. 15, 2021, will star founding cast members Lin-Manuel Miranda in the lead role of Alexander Hamilton, along with Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Daveed Diggs, Christopher Jackson, Jonathan Groff, Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos, and Jasmine Cephas Jones.
“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 Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger.
It’s being reported that Disney paid $75 million for the worldwide rights to the show, which will no doubt become a massive box office success before making its way to Disney’s new streaming platform, Disney+, which launched this past November and now boasts 28.6 million subscribers. Disney has been no stranger to acquiring hugely successful and beloved franchises, having purchased Marvel in 2009 and Lucasfilm (Star Wars) in 2012.
Check out the original cast in action:
