Haute 100 lister Harvey Weinstein and his film studio The Weinstein Company is looking to develop a movie version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In the Heights.” Weinstein hopes to create the film adaption for $15 million.
The Puerto Rican native will be heavily involved in the adaption of his screenplay. Miranda will be producing the project, while Kenny Ortega is set to direct it. In addition, Scott Sanders and Mara Jacobs will be producing the movie through Scott Sanders Productions. The script will be written by Quiara Alegria Hudes, who wrote the book for the original Broadway show.
In a statement, Weinstein said, “As a kid from Queens, I’ve always loved bringing New York stories to film. In the Heights and Lin Manuel brought Washington Heights to Broadway back in 2008 and in the process turned the theater world on its head. The movie musicals of the 1950s were incredible, but ‘In The Heights’ will revolutionize what movie audiences expect from the genre.”
Others slated to be part of the forthcoming project includes Meryl Poster, President and Founder at Superb Entertainment. Poster will be an executive producer. Poster executive produced Chicago, which won the Best Picture Academy Award in 2002 and the Oscar-nominated Cider House Rules (1999) and Chocolat (2000).
“In the Heights” is Miranda’s breakout musical. The playwright is set over three days, largely taking place in Washington Heights, New York. The musical debuted on Broadway in 2008 and became a hit. It was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won four including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations. It also won a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album.
Miranda is currently starring in his latest hit “Hamilton,” which is a hip-hop musical about America’s first Treasury secretary. It was recently nominated for 16 Tony Awards, more than any other Broadway show.
