Hollywood keeps handing out freebies during the COVID-19 shutdown, but now comes an extreme:
“Hamilton” (shown here), filmed with the original cast, will reach the Disney+ streaming service on July 3.
Earlier, the Disney people had nudged several films ahead, including “Frozen 2,” “Onward” and “Elephant.” But each streamed a few months earlier than planned; “Hamilton” will arrive a year early.
The musical swept 11 Tony awards and a Pulitzer Prize. Its director, Thomas Kail, filmed it in 2016, with plans to turn it into a movie; Kail also won an Emmy for directing a live “Grease” on Fox.
This has Lin-Manuel Miranda in the title role, alongside Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs, Christopher Jackson, Jonathan Groff and more.
It comes during a tough time for fans of musicals. Broadway has been shuttered, the Tony awards have been delayed indefinitely and the movie of Miranda’s “In the Heights” has been delayed a year, until June of 2021.