Lin-Manuel Miranda announced on Thursday that global Latin star Marc Anthony will join the cast of Miranda’s “In the Heights” film adaptation.
Anthony will portray the father of Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV), the younger cousin of the lead character Unsavi (Ramos), which Miranda called in a tweet a “brief but pivotal role.”
Okay I actually can't hold it in anymore.
Sonny's father will be played by @MarcAnthony.
It's a brief but pivotal role.
…And I still can't believe it.#InTheHeightsMovie pic.twitter.com/WC9M0eiraY— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) June 6, 2019
He joins a cast featuring “Hamilton” star Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Stephanie Beatriz, Melissa Barrera and Leslie Grace.
Anthony is one of the most well-known Latin artists around the world. He’s won two Grammy Awards and is a six-time Latin Grammy Award winner. He’s also sold more than 12 million albums worldwide. Anthony holds the Guinness World Record for best-selling tropical/salsa artist and the most number-one albums on the Billboard Tropical Albums year-end charts.
“In the Heights,” which won the Tony for Best Musical and Best Original Score in 2008, follows a bodega owner in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood who has mixed feelings about closing his store and retiring to the Dominican Republic after inheriting his grandmother’s fortune.
The musical was created by Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes, who is penning the script with Marc Klein (“Serendipity”). “Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon M. Chu is directing the film for Warner Bros..
“In the Heights” had originally been set up at The Weinstein Co., but Hudes and Miranda regained control of the film rights in the aftermath of the company’s downfall following the sexual assault and harassment accusations against Harvey Weinstein, and TWC’s subsequent bankruptcy.
Miranda is producing alongside Scott Sanders, Anthony Bregman and Mara Jacobs. David Nicksay, Jill Furman, Kevin McCollum and Jeffrey Seller are executive producing.
The studio has dated “In the Heights” for a June 2020 release.