In The Heights was scheduled to be released in June 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic shook up those plans.
And Lin-Manuel Miranda revealed that he was originally against delaying the film’s release a year until Jon Chu convinced him otherwise.
The 41-year-old producer and playwright Miranda and 41-year-old director appear on the cover of the latest issue of Variety.
The talented duo discussed several topics in the pages of the publication including how the film’s original deal with Universal fizzled out, how a studio’s desire for star power can negatively effect actors of color, and hesitation to change the film’s release date.
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Dynamic duo: Jon Chu and Lin-Manuel Miranda appear on the cover of the latest issue of Variety as they talked about plenty regarding In The Heights
Miranda had become a sensation on Broadway with his 2007 Tony Award winning stage play In The Heights which was optioned by Universal Pictures until the studio opted to drop the project in 2011.
He explained: ‘I was so naive. I thought once a studio buys the rights to the movie, the movie’s getting made. I didn’t know the sheer tonnage of miles between acquiring the rights and a green light.
‘You can find interviews of me being like, the In the Heights movie is happening any minute now!’
‘I was so naive’: In The Heights which was originally optioned by Universal Pictures until the studio opted to drop the project in 2011
Apparently a huge sticking point for the $37milllion budget project was the studio’s desire for a bankable Latino star, reportedly Jennifer Lopez or Shakira according to Variety.
‘It very quickly became if you don’t have,’ Miranda said as he covered his mouth with his hand, ‘bleep, you’re not getting the money to make the movie.’
Both Miranda and Chu believe that a studio’s demand for star power can discount actors of color thus continuing the history of overlooked POC.
Miranda explained: ‘The sentence that rings in my ears from that era is “There’s not a lot of Latino stars who test international.” “Test international” means “We’re not taking a chance on an expensive movie with Latino stars.”
‘You can find interviews of me being like, the In the Heights movie is happening any minute now!’ Miranda (seen in December 2018) had become a sensation on Broadway with his 2007 Tony Award winning stage play of the same name
A-listers: Apparently a huge sticking point for the $37milllion budget project was the studio’s desire for a bankable Latino star, reportedly Jennifer Lopez or Shakira (seen together in February 2020) according to Variety
‘What Jon did so brilliantly with Crazy Rich Asians was he said, “These people are stars; you just don’t know who they are yet.” I think he’s done a similar thing with In the Heights.’
The film was originally set to be released on June 26, 2020 but the global COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the cinema industry.
When the option to delay the project was a possibility Miranda had his reservations about doing so until his director Chu changed his mind.
Miranda said: ‘I very publicly was the one person who was really against it. I was like, “How can we hang onto this for a year when we know how wonderful it is?”
‘Jon’s argument to me, which is the correct one, is we can release it now and people would feel good to have it in their homes. Or we can release it with the right push next year, and then we create a lane of Latinx stars so that I never have to sit in a meeting and hear someone say, “Do they test international?”‘
Sad: The film was originally set to be released on June 26, 2020 but the global COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the cinema industry
Top brass: When the option to delay the project was a possibility Miranda had his reservations about doing so until his director Chu (pictured in November 2018) changed his mind
The duo are hoping to make Anthony Ramos the next big star as he plays the lead role of Usnavi de la Vega in the film with Miranda being very familiar with his work as he starred as both John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the original cast of Hamilton on Broadway.
Chu gushed about the experience of working with the 29-year-old Brooklyn-native actor as he said: ‘Ramos] broke down these lyrics and what it meant to his life. It broke my heart and gave me so much hope. Oh, and he could sing and dance, he’s charming, and he’s funny and all the things that make a movie star.’
Telenovela star Melissa Barrera plays Usnavi’s love interest Vanessa, with Leslie Grace as Nina, who is hiding from her parents that she dropped out of Stanford.
Shining star: The duo are hoping to make Anthony Ramos (seen in February 2020) the next big star as he plays the lead role of Usnavi de la Vega in the film
Theatre background: Ramos first came to prominence as a member of the original Broadway cast of the musical Hamilton. He’s pictured with Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda
Corey Hawkins, who played Heath on The Walking Dead and Dr. Dre in Straight Outta Compton, stars as Nina’s forbidden love Benny.
The movie’s star-studded cast includes Orange Is The New Black alum Dasha Polanco and Brooklyn Nine-Nine actress Stephanie Beatriz.
In The Heights began Lin-Manuel’s fusion of hip-hop and Broadway, a combination that made him a massive celebrity with Hamilton.
In The Heights is set for release on June 11 in both theaters and HBO Max.
Highly-anticipated: In The Heights is set for release on June 11 in both theaters and HBO Max