Lin Manuel-Miranda Posts Open Casting Call for 'In the Heights' Film

“In the Heights” and “Hamilton” creator Lin Manuel-Miranda is conducting a worldwide open casting search for the big-screen adaptation of his 2008 Tony award-winning musical “In the Heights.” But actors who don’t want to throw away their shot need to act fast.

In a video posted to Castittalent.com Miranda rapped: “Lights up on Washington Heights up at the break of day, I wake up I got all these roles someone was meant to play. Necesito que represente mi gente (I need someone to represent my people), could it be you?”

If it could, you have until Nov. 7 to submit your video audition.

Miranda is looking for actors to fill four roles. However, the descriptions given in the casting call aren’t necessarily for the roles people will be considered for. They’re being used to give them an idea of what role best suits those who send in an audition tape. Those who audition are being asked to read from a script written “in the spirit” of the characters who will appear in the film.

Also Read: Lin-Manuel Miranda's 'In The Heights' Set for Summer 2020 Release

Earlier this month, Anthony Ramos of “Hamilton” fame was cast as the lead in the Warner Bros. film, which is set to be directed by “Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon Chu.

Ramos previously played the lead role of Unsavi in a production of “In the Heights” at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

The musical, created by Lin Manuel-Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes, follows a bodega owner in the 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.

Also Read: Lin Manuel-Miranda, Quiara Alegría Hudes Wrestle 'In The Heights' Movie Rights Back From TWC

The Broadway production of “In The Heights” won the Tony for Best Musical and Best Original Score, as well as a Grammy for Best Musical Show album.

Miranda wrote the music, lyrics and starred in the lead role when “In the Heights” landed on Broadway. Hudes wrote the book for the musical.

The descriptions of the characters are as follows:

Female Role No. 1 — Young, starry-eyed and intelligent (book-smart and street-smart). Must sing and dance well. Familiarity with speaking Spanish is ideal.

Female Role No. 2 – A strong woman who is stylish, sassy and loves to gossip. Must sing and dance well. Familiarity with speaking Spanish is ideal.

Male Role No. 1 – Completely streetwise, this teen is brilliant but also a total goofball. Must sing and dance well. Familiarity with speaking Spanish is ideal.

Male Role No. 2 – Driven, charismatic, and full of energy. Puts on a brave face when times get tough. Must rap, sing and dance well. Familiarity with speaking Spanish is ideal.

The Highest Grossing Movie Musicals of All Time, From 'Grease' to 'La La Land' (Photos)

Who said the musical is dead? The last few years have produced box office hits out of film adaptations of Broadway smashes, original movie musicals and a few, beloved, all-time classics.
17. "Saturday Night Fever" (1977) - $282.4 million

John Travolta perfectly embodies the disco era in this famed film, which received an original R rating before being edited to a PG rating in 1979.
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16. "The Sound of Music" (1965) - $286.4 million

This classic musical film received high accolades at the Academy Awards by winning both Best Picture and Best Director for Robert Wise — and even beat out "Gone With the Wind" for highest grossing film at the time.
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15. "Pitch Perfect 2" (2015) - $287.5 million

The second film in the "Pitch Perfect" series added newcomer Hailee Steinfield to the ensemble, and it managed to surpass the total gross of the original film in just five days.
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14. "Chicago" (2002) - $306.8 million

Rob Marshall's "Chicago" won six Oscars, including Best Picture, and helped launch the genre's revival on the big screen this century.
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13. "Enchanted" (2007) - $340.5 million

The movie that made Amy Adams a star is finally getting a long-awaited sequel, the announced "Disenchanted," slated to premiere on Disney+ in 2022.
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12. "Mary Poppins Returns" (2018) - $349.5 million

As a sequel to the 1964 "Mary Poppins" starring Emily Blunt as the iconic nanny, the film features cameos from Lin-Manual Miranda and original cast member Dick Van Dyke (though not Julie Andrews), and it received four Academy Award nominations.
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11. "Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!" (2018) - $394.7 million

The long-awaited sequel to "Mamma Mia" adds three more ABBA songs to the film's franchise as Lily James took on the role of young Donna in this time-jumping film.
Universal
10. "Grease" (1978) - $396.2 million

Though its box office total is inflated somewhat by a re-release, "Grease" still holds up not just as one of the best musicals of the last 40 years but also the most successful (certainly given inflation).
Paramount Pictures
9. "A Star is Born" (2018) - $434.9 million

The fourth filmed version of the Hollywood classic, "A Star is Born," grossed $434.9 million and earned the film eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Bradley Cooper and Best Actress for Lady Gaga -- not to mention the killer song “Shallow.”
Warner Bros.
8. "The Greatest Showman" (2017) - $438 million

Hugh Jackman's factually loose biopic about the life of P.T. Barnum and the formation of the circus had a rough opening weekend at the box office, grossing just $8.8 million domestic. But it grew over time and catapulted to success on the heels of its Oscar-nominated song "This is Me" by the "La La Land" songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
NIko Tavernise/20th Century Fox
7. "Les Misérables" (2012) - $441.8 million

Tom Hooper followed up his Best Picture-winning "The King's Speech" with this lavish and dizzying musical that won Anne Hathaway an Oscar before returning back to the Broadway musical world for "Cats," the film version of which didn't do nearly as well.
Fox
6. "La La Land" (2016) - $446.1 million

The almost-Best Picture winner from Damien Chazelle was also runner-up as the highest grossing Best Picture nominee of 2016, falling behind "Hidden Figures."
Lionsgate
5. "Mamma Mia!" (2008) - $609.9 million

The first "Mamma Mia!" film, an adaptation of the stage hit featuring the songs of ABBA, made a whopping $144 million in its first weekend despite opening alongside "The Dark Knight."
Universal
4. "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018) - $903.6 million

The biopic of Queen became a wide success given its humble budget of about $50 million, earning star Rami Malek an Academy Award for Best Actor and the film an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
20th Century Fox
3. "Aladdin" (2019) - $1.0 billion

The live-action adaptation of "Aladdin," which features Will Smith's rendition of the genie, surpassed $1 billion, making it the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2019.
Disney
2. "Beauty and the Beast" (2017) - $1.3 billion

Disney struck gold with its live-action adaptation of the animated hit "Beauty and the Beast," lovingly recreated to minute detail by director Bill Condon with a cast led by Harry Potter alum Emma Watson.
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1. "The Lion King" (2019) - $1.6 billion

This Disney live-action remake (and we can debate whether the CGI jungle animals are really "live-action") was a global smash and features voice talent from stars Donald Glover, Seth Rogen and Beyoncé, who even curated an album to go along with the film, "The Lion King: The Gift."
Walt Disney

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Can Steven Spielberg’s ”West Side Story“ reach the box office heights of these classics?

Who said the musical is dead? The last few years have produced box office hits out of film adaptations of Broadway smashes, original movie musicals and a few, beloved, all-time classics.

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The Highest Grossing Movie Musicals of All Time, From 'Grease' to 'La La Land' (Photos)

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