In The Heights: Lin-Manuel Miranda Reveals How Jon Chu Influenced The Film
Jon Chu is trying to go big for In The Heights and Lin-Manuel Miranda is right there with him. The [...]
Jon Chu is trying to go big for In The Heights and Lin-Manuel Miranda is right there with him. The Hamilton star shared his thoughts on that approach with the A.V. Club. It's been a long road to this point for the beloved musical, but the big release day is finally here. Chu is the man behind the camera, and his brand of maximalism is going to be right at home with the big sweeping drama of the stage production. The director is shooting for the moon and the studio is letting the creative team call their shot on this one. We all saw how big of a hit Hamilton was over at Disney+. Clearly, WarnerMedia is hoping for similar fanfare when In The Heights hits theaters and streaming this summer in June. Check out what the man behind this story had to say down below.
"Jon, I think, dreamed bigger than any of us in terms of the size and scope of this," he is quoted as saying. "I think we're so used to asking for less -- just to ask to occupy space, as Latinos. Like, let us make our little movie. And Jon, every step of the way, was like, 'No. This is a big movie. These guys have big dreams. We're allowed to go that big."
In another interview, Chu credited Miranda with completely letting him find the voice and tempo of this story.
"He (sowed) the seeds on Broadway ... and started a revolution of theater, and roles for him, his friends and his community, preceding anything that I could have ever dreamed for Asian Americans in this space," he explained. "That definitely got into my brain as I was making movies and realizing there were no roles for Asian Americans in Hollywood -- especially at the studio level -- that portrayed who we really were, or who I felt we were."
Warner Bros. dropped a synopsis for the movie:
"Lights up on Washington Heights...The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is the likeable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life. In The Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York's Washington Heights neighborhood: a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It's a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams, and pressures."
Are you stoked for In The Heights? Let us know in the comments!
