Source:Universal Pictures

November 7, 2008

Universal Pictures (Mamma Mia!) announced today that it has acquired the rights to produce a feature film based on "In the Heights," a multi-generational and multi-ethnic musical by Tony Award® winner, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegria Hudes. "In the Heights" has exhilarated audiences both on and off Broadway since February 2007 and won four Tony Awards® this year including Best Musical, Best Choreography, Best Orchestration and a Best Original Score Award and Best Actor nomination for Miranda. "In the Heights'" original Broadway producers, Kevin McCollum, Jeffrey Seller and Jill Furman, will executive produce and Quiara Alegria Hudes, who wrote the Tony nominated book for the show, will be writing the screen adaptation for the film.

Set over three days in the upper Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights, "In the Heights" is an exhilarating musical journey into one of New York's most vibrant communities, where the lives of three generations come together in an unforgettable story of hope and self-discovery.

"'In the Heights' is a musical rich with storyline and characters that transcend the setting in which they are cast to entertain and speak to audiences from all walks of life," said Donna Langley, President of Production for Universal Pictures. "We are thrilled to be working with Lin-Manuel Miranda to bring this fantastic story to the big screen."

Twenty-eight year-old Miranda, who wrote the music and lyrics and currently stars in the show, first conceived "In the Heights" while in his sophomore year at Wesleyan University. "In the Heights" is the story of a vibrant and tight-knit community of New York's famed Washington Heights neighborhood. The music pulses with the hopes and dreams of three generations as they struggle to forge an identity in a neighborhood on the brink of transition.

"Nearly nine years into my journey with 'Heights,' I remain constantly humbled by all the opportunities we have been given. I am thrilled to work with Universal and help bring this story to millions of people around the world," said Miranda.