Everything You Need To Know About Lin-Manuel Miranda's IN THE HEIGHTS Movie!

By: Jun. 21, 2019
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Wepa! The film adaptation of the Tony-winning musical In the Heights is on its way, and we can barely contain our excitement seeing Usnavi and the whole gang on the big screen! To tide you over until then, we've gathered all the info you need to know about the movie, from the casting to sneak peeks from the show's creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda! Check it all out below!

Get All the Info on the Movie!

The film adaptation of the 2008 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, In the Heights, is set to be released in movie theaters on June 26, 2020. It is currently being filmed on location in Washington Heights this summer! Check out Lin-Manuel Miranda's tour through the neighborhood in preparation here!

The movie will also be filled with actual residents of Washington Heights! At an open casting call in the neighborhood, Lin-Manuel Miranda made a special surprise appearance!

Lin and the cast also recently visited a high school production of In the Heights in Washington Heights after a day of rehearsals! Check out all of their reactions to the show here!

Lin also revealed in a post on Twitter that he and the show's original book writer, Quiara A Hudes, were working on new lyrics for the show's Tony-winning score!

Meet the Cast Bringing In The Heights to the Screen!

In the Heights fans have been introduced to the film's cast members courtesy of Lin-Manuel Miranda's special Twitter announcements, from Usanvi and Vanessa to new characters Sonny's father and Cuca. Now we've compiled Lin's announcements along with more info on what to expect from this cast of characters!

Anthony Ramos - Usnavi

Anthony Ramos first worked with In the Heights creator Lin-Manuel Miranda as part of the original cast of the smash hit musical "Hamilton," originating the roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton. Ramos was also recently seen on screen in A Star Is Born with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. His upcoming film projects include Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Honest Thief, and Trolls World Tour. Anthony also recently performed a karaoke version of 96,000 alongside original cast member Christopher Jackson at this year's Tony Awards! Check out the full video here!

Melissa Barrera - Vanessa

Melissa Barrera is best known for the telenovelas La Mujer de Judas and La Otra Cara Del Alma. She studied at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU where she appeared in musicals such as Sweet Charity.

Corey Hawkins - Benny

Corey Hawkins has appeared on both the big and small screen in projects such as The Walking Dead, 24: Legacy, Straight Outta Compton. Hawkins also received a Tony nomination for his work in the recent Broadway revival of Six Degrees of Separation where he played opposite Allison Janney. He has also appeared on stage in Broadway's Romeo and Juliet, as well as on stages for Roundabout Theatre Company and Signature Theatre.

Leslie Grace - Nina

Leslie Grace is a singer and songwriter whose mainstream debut hit "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" gave a new bilingual take on the classic Shirelles song of the same name. She has charted on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart, and the Latin Airplay charts. She also has a distribution deal with Sony Music Latin and Sony/ATV.

Olga Merediz - Abuela Claudia

Olga originated the role of Abuela Claudia in In the Heights, for which she received a 2008 Tony Award nomination. She has also appeared on Broadway in Mamma Mia, Reckless, Man of La Mancha, Les Misérables, and The Human Comedy. Her film credits include Fugly, Mr. Popper's Penguins, One for the Money, Changing Lanes, and Evita. Her television credits include Shades of Blue and Orange Is The New Black.

Jimmy Smits - Kevin Rosario

Jimmy is known is performances on the TV series L.A. Law, NYPD Blue, and The West Wing. He also appeared on the big screen in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, as well as on the small screen in Dexter and Sons of Anarchy.

Gregory Diaz IV - Sonny

Gregory made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning Matilda the Musical in 2016 and went on the show's national tour in 2017. He won a NYMF Performance award for his work as leading role Pedro in the Off-Broadway production of Pedro Pan. He was also nominated for an Outstanding Ensemble award at the NYITA for his work on the Off-Broadway production of Zurich.

Daphne Rubin-Vega - Daniela

Daphne is best known for originating the role of Mimi Marquez in the Jonathan Larson musical Rent. Her other Broadway credits include A Streetcar Named Desire; Les Miserables; Anna in the Tropic, and The Rocky Horror Show. She also appeared Off-Broadway alongside Phillip Seymor Hoffman in Jack Goes Boating, as well as the play's film adaptation.

Stephanie Beatriz - Carla

Stephanie is best known for starring on the hit NBC comedy "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." Beatriz had her first feature film role as Jessica in the 2013 acclaimed independent drama Short Term 12. She also starred as Bonnie in the independent feature film The Light of the Moon, written and directed by Jessica M. Thompson.

Dascha Polanco - Cuca

Dascha is known for portraying the role of Dayanara "Daya" Diaz on the Netflix series Orange Is The New Black. She had recurring roles in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story and in the Netflix series Russian Doll.

Marc Anthony - Sonny's Father

Marc is a two-time Grammy Award and six-time Latin Grammy Award winner who has sold more than 12 million albums worldwide. He is also the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. His acting credits include Man on Fire opposite Denzel Washington and In the Time of Butterflies opposite Selma Hayek.

Noah Catala - Graffiti Pete

Noah is making his film debut in the movie adaptation of In the Heights. He has appeared in the Netflix series The Get Down.

Lin-Manuel Miranda - Piraguero

Lin is the creator, composer, and lyricist of In the Heights. He also appeared in the original Broadway cast as Usnavi. He received the 2008 Tony Award for Best Score for his work on In the Heights. He is also the composer, lyricist, and book writer of the Tony-winning musical Hamilton, where he also appeared in the original Broadway cast as Alexander Hamilton. He also co-created the improvisational hip-hop group Freestyle Love Supreme, which is coming to Broadway this fall.

Get a Peek Behind the Scenes Courtesy of Twitter!

No me diga! Lin-Manuel Miranda has been giving his followers some special sneak peeks at everything that's been going into bringing Washington Heights to the big screen, from rehearsals and read throughs to the action on set. Check out this look behind the scenes!


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