Who lives, who dies, who streams your story? Disney+. Not content with housing every beloved classic movie from its vault, Disney is also dabbling in beloved Broadway musicals and dropping Hamilton a whole year early on July 3. The filmed version of the Broadway musical was originally slated for release in October 2021, but with the world still battling the coronavirus pandemic and, not to mention, the fact that no new shows and movies can currently safely film, Disney is fast-tracking one of its most highly-anticipated drops.
Written and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, the soon-to-be-streamed version of the musical was filmed in 2016 and also features cast members Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Leslie Odom, Jr., Christopher Jackson, Jonathan Groff, Phillipa Soo, and Jasmine Cephas Jones. This filmed performance also promises to be unlike any other filmed performance you’ve ever seen, using “live capture,” which combines the best of three different live performances, according to The Verge.
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“I’m so proud of how beautifully Tommy Kail has brought ‘Hamilton’ to the screen. He’s given everyone who watches this film the best seat in the house,” said Lin-Manuel Miranda in a statement. “I’m so grateful to Disney and Disney+ for reimagining and moving up our release to July 4th weekend of this year, in light of the world turning upside down. I’m so grateful to all the fans who asked for this, and I’m so glad that we’re able to make it happen. I’m so proud of this show. I can’t wait for you to see it.”
It’s only a matter of time...
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) May 12, 2020
Our Hamilton film.
THIS July 3rd.
On Disney+.#Hamilfilm pic.twitter.com/cXTM949hRr
Since its 2015 debut on Broadway in New York City, the musical has traveled to Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Puerto Rico and London. Hamilton earned the Tony for Best Musical in 2016, along with Best Original Score, Costume Design, Direction — the list goes on. At one point, tickets to the show cost up to $1,150 (roughly £935) but now you can experience basically the same thing for £5.99 month.
Before now, the cast still took advantage of quarantine to surprise fans with a performance over Zoom. Until July 3rd, you can warm up by listening to that as well as the original cast recording on Spotify. It will take about a month and a half to get through, anyways.