Disney Acquires Distribution Rights to Hamilton Film in $75 Million Deal
Photo by Joan Marcus Movies News Hamilton
Last week, it was confirmed that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-, Grammy- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Hamilton would eventually hit theaters as a film starring the musical’s original cast and directed by its original director, Thomas Kail. It is now confirmed that the forthcoming Hamilton will be put out by Disney on Oct. 15, 2021.
Disney appears to have broken the record for the biggest film acquisition ever, reportedly paying $75 million for exclusive global distribution rights to the 160-minute film, which will have a wide theatrical release and then stream on Disney+.
Disney’s official announcement of the HAMILTON film, which will star the original Broadway cast. They tout a “live capture” process which they say combines “live theater and film.” pic.twitter.com/H6Rc05suZc
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) February 3, 2020
“I fell in love with musical storytelling growing up with the legendary Howard Ashman-Alan Menken Disney collaborations—The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin,” said Miranda in a statement. “I’m so proud of what Tommy Kail has been able to capture in this filmed version of Hamilton—a live theatrical experience that feels just as immediate in your local movie theater. We’re excited to partner with Disney to bring the original Broadway company of Hamilton to the largest audience possible.”
The film will be a “live-capture” of three live performances of Hamilton with the original cast, which Kail has already filmed. The cast will feature Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler and Leslie Odom, Jr. as Aaron Burr.
“We are thrilled for fans of the show, and new audiences across the world, to experience what it was like on stage—and in the audience—when we shot this at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in June of 2016,” said Kail in a statement. “We wanted to give everyone the same seat, which is what this film can provide.”