Hamilton movie set to release earlier amidst Corona

Leeward Islands, are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In English, the term Leeward Islands refers to the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain.

As all of us know, West Indies Cricket team is comprised of people from many Nations of Caribbean islands.  Those who had played for Leeward Islands include – King Viv Richards, Richie Richardson, Curtly Ambrose, Andy Roberts, Eldine Baptiste,  Keith Arthurton, Kieran Powell among others.

When Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeted the news that the movie adaptation of his groundbreaking Broadway show Hamilton was set for release by Disney in fall 2021, he omitted one of the most breathtaking parts of the deal. According to sources, Disney beat out other suitors and paid $75 million for worldwide rights to the show that won 11 Tony Awards in 2016, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Disney won the deal with a commitment for a wide global theatrical release for the 2 hour, 40 minute movie, which was shot two weeks before the original cast left.

Alexander Hamilton (1757 – 1804) was an American statesman, politician, legal scholar, military commander, lawyer, banker, and economist. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was an influential interpreter and promoter of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the founder of the nation's financial system, the Federalist Party, the United States Coast Guard, and the New York Post newspaper. As the first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton was the main author of the economic policies of George Washington's administration.

Hamilton was born out of wedlock in Charlestown, Nevis. Nevis,  is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands. Charlestown is the capital of the island of Nevis, in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Leeward Islands, West Indies. He was orphaned as a child and taken in by a prosperous merchant. When he reached his teens, he was sent to New York to pursue his education. He took an early role in the militia as the American Revolutionary War began. Hamilton continued his legal and business activities in New York City, and was active in ending the legality of the international slave trade.

There were news that it would take a while before anyone sees Hamilton onstage again. But there's now another option: Disney announced on Wednesday that it plans to stream a filmed version of the stage production from July 3 on Disney+. The plan is a pandemic-prompted push: just three months ago, Disney announced that it was preparing the film for release on October 15, 2021. But the cancellation of all live performances, as well as the uncertain appeal of cinema, led the company to fast-track the film, moving up the release date by 15 months.

Hamilton is an upcoming 2020 American musical drama film, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and directed by Thomas Kail. The film is a recording of Miranda's 2015 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn is inspired by the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by historian Ron Chernow. The film stars Miranda in the titular role of Treasury Secretary and Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, along with the original Broadway cast of the musical. The movie consists largely of filmed performances, featuring the original Broadway cast, shot at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in June 2016. The film, like the stage production, is directed by Thomas Kail; Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the musical, stars in the title role.

The release date is not accidental: the musical depicts the American Revolution, and July 4 is Independence Day in the United States. The show has grossed $US650 million ($1 billion) on Broadway, where it has been seen by 2.6 million people. And, before live performances around the world were shuttered in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus, it was also playing in London and several North American touring productions. An Australian production is still scheduled to premiere in Sydney in March 2021.

Disney+, with more than 50 million subscribers, has been one of the bright spots in the ailing Disney empire, which, because of its dependence on theme parks and movie-going, has been hit hard by the pandemic. This is not the first time Disney has changed its streaming plans as it adapts to a marketplace transformed by this unexpected moment. In March the company began streaming the animated film Frozen 2 three months earlier than planned, citing "this challenging period". This is also not the only Miranda movie affected by the pandemic. A feature film adapted from his earlier musical, In the Heights, has been delayed. Originally scheduled to be released next month, the film is now set to be released a year later, on June 18, 2021.

Interesting !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

13.5.2020