Ovation

Disney fast-tracks ‘Hamilton’ film for summer release

Via YouTube

Those feeling robbed of culture at the moment, take heed: the Pulitzer Prize and Tony award-winning musical Hamilton arrives this July on Disney+.

The filmed production will utilize a technology called “live capture,” which edits together material from three live stage performances into a single film. Original stage cast Lin-Manuel Miranda (who also wrote the score), Daveed Diggs, Leslie Odom, Jr., Jasmine Cephas Jones, Jonathan Groff, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Christopher Jackson and Anthony Ramos will all appear in the filmed version.

Disney paid a whopping $75 million for the finished film–an unheard-of sum for a filmed stage performance–to acquire the movie in February. Early reports had a 2021 release date set for Hamilton. With COVID-19 shuttering movie theatres and canceling the 4th of July festivities, the House of Mouse decided to move up the date.

Related: ‘Hamilton’ Star Brandon Dixon Has A(nother) Message For Thin-Skinned President Elect

“No other artistic work in the last decade has had the cultural impact of Hamilton—an inspiring and captivating tale told and performed in a powerfully creative way. In light of the extraordinary challenges facing our world, this story about leadership, tenacity, hope, love and the power of people to unite against the forces of adversity is both relevant and impactful,” Robert Iger, Executive Chairman of The Walt Disney Company, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to bring this phenomenon to Disney+ on the eve of Independence Day, and we have the brilliant Lin-Manuel Miranda and the team behind Hamilton to thank for allowing us to do so more than a year before planned.”

Hamilton dramatizes the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s founding fathers. The score integrates a mix of hip-hop and R&B music, and casts people of color in the majority of the roles. The subversive take on history earned unanimous raves from critics when the show opened on Broadway in 2016.

The film arrives July 3 on Disney+.

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