“Hamilton” creator will bring autobiographical play to big screen in directorial debut
Lin-Manuel Miranda will make his directorial debut with a film adaptation of “Tick, Tick… Boom!” the autobiographical musical of the late “Rent” playwright Jonathan Larson, Imagine Entertainment announced Thursday.
Miranda, who starred in the Off-Broadway poduction of this musical, will also produce with Imagine Chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, along with Julie Oh. Larson’s sister, Julie Larson, will be executive producer while “Dear Evan Hansen” playwright Steven Levenson will adapt the screenplay.
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Taking place in 1990, “Tick, Tick… Boom!” follows Jon, a waiter and aspiring composer who hopes that his next theatrical project, “Superbia,” will bring him his Broadway dreams. But as his roommate prepares to move out and take a high-paying advertising job and his girlfriend pressures him to give up on his play, Jon begins to wonder if his dreams are worth it.
“Jonathan Larson’s captivating storytelling in Rent first taught me that musicals could be contemporary, true to life, and depict your own experiences. But it was Tick, Tick… Boom! that solidified that drive in me to hone my own voice as a playwright,” said Miranda in a statement.
“On stage, playing the role of ‘Jon’ in 2014 was one of my most honored achievements. To now have the opportunity to make my film directorial debut, in collaboration with the Larson Family and this incredible creative team, and to adapt a work I love so deeply, is a humbling privilege.”
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Miranda is set to star alongside Emily Blunt in Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns,” which comes out this Christmas. He will also produce a film adaptation of his first musical, “In the Heights,” for Warner Bros. and will return to the stage to play the lead role as part of a three-week engagement to benefit rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.
Miranda and Levenson are represented by WME. The Larson Estate is represented by Paradigm and The Guzman Law Group.
