‘Hamilton’s’ Anthony Ramos to Star in Sci-Fi Comedy ‘Distant’ (EXCLUSIVE)

By Justin Kroll

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Anthony Ramos will star in Amblin’s upcoming sci-fi comedy “Distant.”

“Blades of Glory” and “Office Christmas Party” directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon will helm the pic, written by Spenser Cohen.

The film tells the story of an asteroid miner who, after crash-landing on an alien planet, must contend with the challenges of his new surroundings, while making his way across the harsh terrain to the only other survivor — a woman who is trapped in her escape pod.

Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (“Midnight Special”), Fred Berger (“La La Land”) and Anna Halberg (“Extinction”) will produce. Speck and Gordon will also serve as executive producers, along with Jonathan Rothbart and Matt Hirsch. Kevin Vafi will co-produce the movie.

Amblin Partners co-president of production Jeb Brody and creative executive John Buderwitz will oversee for the studio.

Ramos has starred in two Lin-Manuel Miranda musicals: the upcoming movie “In the Heights” as Usnavi de la Vega and the Broadway smash “Hamilton” as Philip Hamilton — the part that helped him land a key role in Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s “A Star Is Born.”

Ramos voices a character in the DreamWorks animated feature “Trolls World Tour,” which will be released in April 2020. He appeared in the box office hit “Godzilla: King of Monsters” and Spike Lee’s Netflix series, “She’s Gotta Have It.”

He will next be seen as the lead in Miranda’s highly-anticipated “In the Heights,” directed by Jon M. Chu, to be released by Warner Bros. in June 2020.

“The Good & The Bad,” his debut album for Republic Records, was released in October to rave reviews and was immediately followed by a North American tour of the same name.

He is repped by CAA, Modest! and Door 24.