Universal Readies In the Heights for the Big Screen

Universal Pictures has acquired the film rights for Tony Award-winning Best Musical In the Heights. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who created, composed and stars in the show, is expected to reprise the role of leading man, Usnavi. Quiara Alegría Hudes, who wrote the Tony-nominated book, is set to write the screen adaptation.

The deal comes on the heels of Universal’s successful adaption of Broadway musical Mamma Mia! into a smash hit film, which went on to gross $558.8 million worldwide and become the highest-grossing movie musical in history.

Set over three days in the upper Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights, In the Heights is a musical journey into the lives of three generations of inhabitants in the area’s vibrant, diverse community. The show opened off-Broadway on February 8, 2007, winning the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance, the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical and an Obie Award, among many others, before closing on July 15. The production later transferred to Broadway, kicking off performances at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on February 14, 2008 and officially opening on March 9. The musical went on to win Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations and Best Original Score. Miranda also nabbed a nomination for Best Actor.

In The Heights’ original Broadway producers, Kevin McCollum, Jeffrey Seller and Jill Furman, will executive produce the film. Former President of Production at Miramax Meryl Poster will produce In the Heights in her first project with Universal, with Miranda also serving as a producer of the film.

In addition to Miranda, the Broadway show currently stars Andréa Burns, Janet Dacal, Tony Award nominee Robin De Jesús, Carlos Gomez, Mandy Gonzalez, Christopher Jackson, Priscilla Lopez, Olga Merediz, Seth Stewart, Tony Chiroldes, Noemi Del Rio, Rosie Lani Fiedelman, Marcus Paul James, Nina Lafarga, Doreen Montalvo, Javier Muñoz, Krysta Rodriguez, Eliseo Román, Luis Salgado, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Rickey Tripp, Michael Balderrama, Blanca Camacho, Joshua Henry, Stephanie Klemons, Dawn Noel Pignuola and Marcos Santana.