In The Heights release date: Latest news on Lin-Manuel Miranda musical adaptation
Crazy Rich Asians director John Chu is adapting Lin Manuel Miranda's acclaimed musical with Anthony Ramos as the lead.
Lin Manuel Miranda's Hamilton dominated both music and film charts last summer - and he's hoping to repeat the feat again in 2021 with the film adaptation of his earlier musical In The Heights.
The sun-drenched movie musical follows the residents of New York neighbourhood Washington Heights as they pursue their dreams of a better life, with many of the cast members of the original Broadway show reprising their roles along with new faces such as Hamilton's Anthony Ramos.
Lin Manuel Miranda will also make a cameo as well as producing, with Crazy Rich Asians director John M Chu helming the all-singing, all-dancing feel-good musical.
Read on for everything you need to know about In The Heights, including plot details, cast information, and a look at the trailer.
In The Heights UK release date
It's only fitting that a film like this one would get a summer release date – and indeed In the Heights is released in UK cinemas on 18th June 2021, a year later than had originally been planned before the coronavirus pandemic caused havoc in the industry.
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In the Heights cast
The full cast of In The Heights has been released, and it is impressive. Hamilton and A Star Is Born actor Anthony Ramos – who's played the role of Sonny on stage – will take on lead character Usnavi, with Mexican actress Melissa Barrera as Vanessa and singer Leslie Grace in her first major screen role as Nina Rosario.
The West Wing's Jimmy Smits will play Nina's father Kevin, Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton) stars as Benny, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Stephanie Beatriz has joined the cast as Carla.
Orange is the New Black's Dacha Polanco will play Cuca, with original cast member and Broadway legend, Olga Merediz, reprising her role as Abuela Claudia. Sonny's father has also been added to the story, played in the film by Marc Anthony.
And Lin Manuel Miranda fans will be pleased to hear that, while he's not reprising his role as Usnavi, he does have a smaller part as Piragua Guy...
In The Heights trailer
You can get a good idea about what to expect from the film by watching the below trailer – which features as much singing, dancing and sun as you could possibly want. As one character says in the trailer, "this is going to be an emotional rollercoaster..."
In the Heights age rating
While the musical received a PG-13 rating in the US, here in the UK In The Heights received a PG rating from the BBFC for "mild bad language" and "sex references."
The BBFC describes a PG rating as being suitable for ages eight and above, so most of the family can enjoy the feel-good film.
In The Heights plot
Lin Manuel Miranda's musical In The Heights tells the story of the lives of an Hispanic-American community of the Washington Heights neighbourhood in New York City.
The tale unfolds over the course of three days and explores the dreams, struggles and relationships of a close-knit group of characters with financial worries threaded throughout their various storylines. It is played out alongside the In The Heights soundtrack featuring salsa, hip-hop and soul.
Who wrote In The Heights?
Lin Manuel Miranda is the musical's writer, lyricist and composer. However, the film's screenplay has been written by Quiara Alegría Hudes – the author of the novel that the musical is based on. The film's director is Jon M Chu, best known for overseeing box office hit Crazy Rich Asians.
Was In The Heights successful?
The musical premiered in 2005 in Connecticut before moving to Broadway, where it ran from 2008 -2011. It then hit London where it ran at Southwark Playhouse and then King's Cross Theatre between 2014 and 2017, and has staged a number of international productions worldwide. During its time on stage both in the US and UK, the musical won three Oliviers, four Tony Awards and a Grammy.
Will the In The Heights film be different from the stage musical?
The movie adaptation is showing early signs of sticking to its roots, filming in the Washington Heights area of New York City where it's set. Real residents of the area are appearing as extras in the film after a casting call was held prior to filming.
Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes are reworking some of the lyrics, including for Champagne, as revealed in a post on Twitter:
Miranda has confirmed there will be no new numbers – and that the film will aim to keep in as many original songs as possible, but some songs have been extended – with new material added in just for the screen.
He's also revealed the story has been updated to be set in the present day, a transition he says was pretty simple:
"Immigration was an issue in 2008. But when I think of Sonny’s lyric — you know ‘Politicians be hating / Racism in this nation has gone from latent to blatant.’ It’s more true in 2019, than it was in 2008,” he told Remezcla.
In the Heights is released in UK cinemas on Friday 18th June 2021. Visit our Movies hub for all the latest news. Looking for something to watch tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
