Jay Z Is Helping To Turn A Lin-Manuel Miranda Musical Into A Movie
Back before Hamilton turned him into a household name, Lin-Manuel Miranda was already a Broadway sensation. His 2008 musical In The Heights, about a group of kids growing up in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood, was a hit, though not on the world-historical level of Hamilton. And it’s notable for being perhaps the first Broadway musical to incorporate rap in a non-humiliating way. In The Heights is about to become a movie, and one of the people helping bring it to the screen is Jay Z.
As The FADER points out, Page Six reports that Jay will be one of six producers on the new movie. Harvey Weinstein, also a producer, made the big announcement at a pre-Oscars party on Sunday, and the movie will start shooting in spring.
Jay has previously served as a producer on movies like Chris Rock’s Top Five and the 2014 Annie remake. According to Page Six, he’s signed a first-look deal to make movies and TV shows with Weinstein.