Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for its upcoming musical movie adaptation, In the Heights. Before his massive success with Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda made his name in the world of theater with a very different Broadway show. Titled In the Heights and co-created by Quiara Alegría Hudes, the musical follows the lives of bodega owner Usnavi de la Vega and the other members of Washington Heights (a predominantly Latinx neighborhood in northern Manhattan) over the course of three days.
Hamilton veteran Anthony Ramos plays Usnavi in the film version of In the Heights (taking over the role Miranda originated onstage) opposite a cast that includes Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Jimmy Smits, and Dascha Polanco, as well as Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Stephanie Beatriz and Miranda himself (as Piragüero). A handful of teaser clips were released online yesterday, offering the first look at the movie’s cast in action, and confirming the full-length trailer would be unveiled today.
The In the Heights trailer dropped this morning and will begin screening with Universal’s Cats movie musical in theaters next week. You can check it out in the space below, followed by the teaser poster.
The In the Heights trailer is certainly lively, with director Jon M. Chu bringing his trademark panache to the original stage show’s various musical numbers. Although he’s better known for helming Crazy Rich Asians nowadays, the filmmaker got his start crafting the highly-kinetic and energetic dance numbers from Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D, in addition to the stylized musical documentaries Justin Bieber: Never Say Never and Justin Bieber’s Believe. He appears to have put that experience to good use on In the Heights, which (so far) looks just as exciting and spirited as the stage show before it. And for those who’re familiar with Miranda’s work on Hamilton, the trailer further draws attention to the parallels between the two shows, especially when it comes to their modern sound and style.
With Hudes writing the screenplay, it will be interesting to see if In the Heights’ non-musical portions work as well as the song and dance numbers. Story-wise, the original show is rich with themes about family, heritage, love, and the reality of what it takes to achieve your dreams, so the movie version will (hopefully) have plenty of substance to go with its spectacle. Admittedly, the Broadway musical isn’t known for being as narratively layered as Hamilton is, but that’s a high bar to clear, and In the Heights’ portrayal of the Latinx experience in the U.S. may feel all the more timely (in light of recent political events) when it arrives in 2020. Not to mention, between this and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, next year’s slate of musicals will provide some much needed representation for the Latinx community in general.
Source: Warner Bros.
- In the Heights Release Date: 2021-06-18
