The 'Hamilton' Movie Will Hit Disney Plus More Than A Year Early
There’s now even less of a wait before anyone can watch Hamilton from home
We were already beyond excited when we heard that Disney was going to release a theatrical movie version of a live stage recording of the Hamilton musical. Our excitement took a little bit of a hit when we learned that it would be released next year, in October of 2021. But with the coronavirus pandemic raging on and the vast majority movie theaters shut down until who knows when, we just got even more good news: The movie will now skip theaters entirely and go straight to Disney Plus, where it will begin streaming July 3, months earlier than originally announced.
That’s right. Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger and Lin-Manuel Miranda just announced on Good Morning America that I mean, Hamilton is coming early, and the movie will be available to stream just in time for July 4th weekend. Disney always knows when we need some good news, and Disney always delivers.
“No other artistic work in the last decade has had the cultural impact of ‘Hamilton’—an inspiring and captivating tale told and performed in a powerfully creative way. In light of the extraordinary challenges facing our world, this story about leadership, tenacity, hope, love and the power of people to unite against the forces of adversity is both relevant and impactful,” said Robert A. Iger, Executive Chairman of The Walt Disney Company in a press release provided to Scary Mommy. “We are thrilled to bring this phenomenon to Disney+ on the eve of Independence Day, and we have the brilliant Lin-Manuel Miranda and the team behind ‘Hamilton’ to thank for allowing us to do so more than a year before planned.”
“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 the release. “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.”
This comes right after the company made the decision to move up the release of The Last Dance, its 10-part Michael Jordan docuseries, which was originally slated to premiere on ESPN during the NBA playoffs. With 2 episodes being released each week since April, the show has brought massive ratings to ESPN during a time when sports fans are pretty starved for something to watch. Clearly, Disney’s strategy right now is to give the people what they want amid so much uncertainty and financial insecurity.
Disney previously paid $75 million for the worldwide rights to the Hamilton recording, one of the biggest deals ever made for a completed film. The “movie” is a professional, live recording of the show as it took place at the Richard Rogers Theater in New York City. It was filmed just two weeks before the original cast departed, and Lin-Manuel Miranda has always said he envisioned the movie as a way to make theater accessible for anyone — not just the people who could afford tickets that were selling for thousands of dollars in the final days of the original cast’s run.
With theaters closed all over the country, and Broadway not slated to open again until next year, there’s no way for anyone to see Hamilton right now. That’s a huge bummer, because it’s an incredible show. Thankfully, Disney is coming through and giving us all something great to look forward to.
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