Lin-Manuel Miranda is non stop. The award-winning writer, composer, actor, rapper, lyricist, and activist has been adding projects to his resume lately like he’s running out of time. Miranda, of course, is best known for the Broadway phenomenon Hamilton, a musical about the life-and-death of the “ten dollar founding father” Alexander Hamilton. It is currently playing on stages in NYC and London as well as well as on a 20 city tour across the United States.
You would think that a Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical would be enough, but for Miranda, that’s just not the case. He’s nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor-Comedy Series this year for his work on Curb Your Enthusiasm. He is also currently set to make his directorial debut as well as working on multiple TV shows and films both in front of and behind the camera. He’s also writing a book. And even with all that he has not forgotten the people of Puerto Rico still devastated by the affects of Hurricane Maria, as he works as a tireless advocate on their behalf.
Here is every project Lin-Manuel Miranda is currently working on.
1. Mary Poppins Returns
The first place to see Miranda in theaters will be in Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns. Directed by Rob Marshall, the film is a sequel to the 1964 original film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. The new film takes place 25 years after the first Mary Poppins and features the children of now adult Jane and Michael Banks. Miranda is playing Jack, a lamplighter who was Bert‘s apprentice. Emily Blunt is playing the titular character of the magical, flying nanny. On Twitter, Miranda promised the role would feature the “best cockney accent you ever heard”. Fans are eagerly awaiting this performance to see Miranda bring his charm and skill to the big screen.
Mary Poppins Returns flies into theaters on December 19th, 2018.
2. DuckTales
On the small screen, Miranda can currently be heard as a voice on the animated series DuckTales. He plays Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera, Gyro‘s earnest and intelligent young intern. Secretly, Fenton is also the superhero Gizmoduck, who saves the city of Duckberg in his robotic suit. The show’s creators wrote the role with Miranda in mind, specifically wanting to a create a superhero character who was Latin American.
Season 1 of DuckTales is currently available to stream on DisneyNow .
3. His Dark Materials
Miranda is set to star in the upcoming BBC adaption of Philip Pullman’s fantasy novels His Dark Materials. The first two episodes of the eight-episode miniseries will be directed by Tom Hooper with scripts by Jack Thorne. His Dark Materials encompasses three books: The Golden Compass (known in the U.K. as Northern Lights), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. Miranda is playing the charismatic aeronaut and adventurer Lee Scoresby who meets Lyra (played by Logan‘s Dafne Keen) on her adventures.
Principle photography for His Dark Materials is currently underway in Cardiff.
4. Fosse/Verdon Series for FX
Miranda is also producing a series for FX. Fosse/Verdon will be an eight-episode series based on Sam Wasson’s Fosse biography. It tells the story of filmmaker and legendary choreographer Bob Fosse (played by Sam Rockwell) and Broadway superstar Gwen Verdon (played by Michelle Williams). Miranda will be joined on the project by his long time collaborator and Hamilton director Thomas Kail, who will direct the pilot. The screenplay will be adapted by fellow Tony winner Steven Levenson, who wrote the book for Dear Evan Hansen.
Production on Fosse/Verdon is set to begin Fall of 2018 for a 2019 release.
5. In the Heights Movie
Before there was Hamilton there was In the Heights. Miranda’s first award winning Broadway musical tells the story of the loves, lives, and struggles of a Latinx community in the Washington Heights neighborhood of NYC. Fans have been eager for a film adaption of the musical since its premiere in 2008. Until recently, the rights were held by The Weinstein Company but reverted back to Miranda and his partner Quiara Alegría Hudes following their request after the allegations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein. Warner Bros. then won the rights to the film in a bidding war. Jon M. Chu has joined the project as a director with Hudes adapting her book into the screenplay. The crew (along with Miranda and Hudes) is currently scouting locations for filming in NYC.
In the Heights comes to theaters June 26, 2020.
6. Tick, Tick…Boom
Miranda is making his directorial debut with another stage to screen project. He is set to direct Tick, Tick…Boom the autobiographical musical from the creator of Rent, Johnathan Larson. Miranda will once again be joined by Steven Levenson, who will adapt the screenplay. Tick, Tick…Boom tells the story of Larson waiting tables in Manhattan and waiting for his big break as a theater composer and wondering if he should give up on his dream. Larson went on to create Rent, sadly dying the night before the show premiered. Miranda played the role of Jon off-Broadway in 2014 and said both the play and the writer have inspired his own career. He calls the project, “a humbling privilege.”
7. Vivo
Miranda is working on an animated project for Sony Pictures Animation. Titled Vivo, it tells the story of capuchin monkey with a passion for music and a thirst for adventure who travels from Havana to Miami to fulfill his destiny. Miranda wrote 11 songs for the film. It will be directed by Kirk De Micco. In the Heights collaborator, Hudes is also writing the screenplay.
Vivo swings into theaters November 6th, 2020.
8. The Little Mermaid Live Action Movie
With Moana and Mary Poppins, Miranda is making quite a name for himself at Disney. Next up for Lin and the mouse house? The live action The Little Mermaid film. Miranda will be writing the lyrics for the new songs alongside the film’s original composer Alan Menken who will write the music. Miranda has a son named Sebastian, so it’s a safe bet that he’s pretty excited about this one. No release date or director is attached to the film yet.
9. Untitled Disney Animated Film
The Little Mermaid isn’t the only upcoming film Miranda is working on with Disney. In 2016, Miranda revealed he was working on a brand new animated film alongside Zootopia co-director Byron Howard. Miranda said he was eager to work with the studio again after the fun experience he had on Moana. Since the original announcement, there has been no additional news about the film so chances are it is still in the very early stages of development.
10. The Kingkiller Chronicle
Also in development for Miranda is the adaptations of The Kingkiller Chronicle for Lionsgate. The book series by Patrick Rothfuss is being turned into a collaborative franchise which will include a TV show, feature film, interactive games, and potentially even a stage production. Miranda is the creative producer for the franchise as well as acting as the executive producer and composer for the TV series, set to air on Showtime. The film adaption will be directed by Sam Raimi (Spider-Man Trilogy). The Kingkiller Chronicle is a planned fantasy trilogy, although only two of the books in the series have been published so far, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear. The story takes place over the course of three days as a man named Kvothe details his adventures as a trouper, musician, and student at the magic teaching University. Miranda is the perfect person to bring this story about a musician who knows he’s the smartest person in the room to life.
11. Gmorning, Gnight Book
Fans who follow Miranda on Twitter know to look forward to his daily ‘Gmorning’ and ‘Gnight’ tweets full of inspiration and hope for the day. At the wishes of these followers, Miranda has turned these tweets into a book called Gmorning, Gnight! Little Pep Talks For Me & You. The book will contain Miranda’s original sayings, poetry, and aphorisms alongside art by fellow Twitter favorite Jonny Sun.
Gmorning, Gnight is available for preorder now. The book will be released on October 23rd, 2018.
12. When We All Vote
Outside of his creative endeavors, Miranda is an activist who can be seen speaking on Capitol Hill and marching in protests. He currently serves as a co-chair for When We All Vote, a nonpartisan organization hoping to spark a conversation about our rights as citizens in shaping democracy. Their goal is to register voters and encourage voting in all elections, not just presidential ones. Recently Miranda appeared in a video for When We All Vote alongside former First Lady Michelle Obama, Janelle Monae, Tom Hanks, and other famous faces.
13. Hamilton in Puerto Rico
Miranda has been dedicated to the relief effort taking place in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. He has created the multimillion-dollar Flamboyan Arts Fund which is aimed at “preserving, amplifying, and sustaining the arts in Puerto Rico”. The organization has already donated funds to five recipients and is working towards donating $15 million overall. Some of the money for the arts fund will come from a special, limited engagement run of Hamilton on the island where Miranda will reprise his original role.
Hamilton will play a three-week run from January 8th-27th, 2019, at Teatro UPR in San Juan.
14. Hamildrops
As if Miranda isn’t busy enough, he has been blessing fans with new, monthly music lovingly called “Hamildrops”. These songs are a mix of covers, remixes, mash-ups, and songs cut from Hamilton. Everyone from The Decembrists to Weird Al Yankovic to Mobb Deep have participated.
The July Hamildrop was delayed, so expect something big for the month of August.
15. Hamilton Recording Rights
In 2016, a recording was made of the Broadway production of Hamilton with the entire original cast, including Miranda. Now, a number of studios are bidding for the rights to stream or show the footage theatrically, with the price going as high as $50 million. The ability to travel to Manhattan or another major city and purchase a pricey ticket for the hit musical isn’t something available to the majority of Americans. And as the popularity of Hamilton increased, seeing it with the original Broadway cast became increasingly difficult. The possibility of seeing the cast that started it all is an exciting possibility. However, fans must be willing to wait for it. As part of the deal, the footage will not be available until 2020 or 2021.
