Disney (NYSE: DIS) has paid $75 million for worldwide rights to the movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway show “Hamilton”. Endeavor Content brokered the deal along with Miranda’s attorney Nancy Rose of Schreck Rose. The movie is set for release by Disney on Oct. 15, 2021. After its traditional theatrical run, it will become a major title on the Disney+ streaming service.
“Hamilton” debuted on Broadway in 2015 with a cast that included Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr, Christopher Jackson as George Washington, Jonathan Groff as King George, Renee Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, and Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton. It tells the story of the Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s founding fathers who was born in the Caribbean and had a French and Scottish heritage. The music in “Hamilton” blends rap, hip-hop, R&B, and classic Broadway.
“Hamilton” won 11 Tony Awards in 2016, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Over its run, it has grossed hundreds of millions of dollars and has also been the focus of a PBS documentary. The production is still playing on Broadway, but with a different cast. There’s also a touring version of the show.
The 2 hour, 40 minute movie is a “live capture” of a stage performance. It was shot at the Richard Rogers Theatre in Manhattan over three live performances two weeks before the original cast left. The footage was used to create multiple angles, to ensure the cinematic nature of the movie. Director Tommy Kail directed both the stage version and the movie.
According to reports, Disney won the deal with a commitment for a wide global theatrical release for the movie. Disney CEO and chairman Robert Iger said in a statement, “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. And we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to share this same Broadway experience with millions of people around the world.”
