Lin-Manuel Miranda to Make Directorial Debut With ‘Tick, Tick…Boom!’

By Dave McNary

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – “Hamilton” creator will make his feature film directorial debut with “Tick, Tick…Boom!” for Imagine Entertainment.

The movie will be based on the autobiographical musical by “Rent” playwright Jonathan Larson. “Tick, Tick… Boom!” tells the story of an aspiring composer in New York City who is worried he made the wrong career choice. Larson first performed the piece as a solo work in 1990. After his death in 1996, playwright David Auburn revised the musical and premiered it Off-Broadway in 2001.

Miranda, who starred in a 2014 stage production of “Tick, Tick…Boom!,” will also produce the film, alongside Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and Imagine’s Julie Oh. Playwright and TV writer Steven Levenson will write the screen adaptation.

“Jonathan Larson’s captivating storytelling in ‘Rent’ first taught me that musicals could be contemporary, true to life, and depict your own experiences,” Miranda said. “But it was ‘Tick, Tick…Boom!’ that solidified that drive in me to hone my own voice as a playwright.”

Grazer said in a statement, “From ‘8 Mile’ to ‘Get On Up,’ I’ve always been personally drawn to stories that depict the perseverance and strength of character to follow one’s dreams. Jonathan Larson’s story is deeply moving and inspirational. Having the amazing talents and unique visions of Lin and Steven for the film adaptation is the perfect creative fit that adds to the project’s authenticity.”

Miranda’s own musical “In the Heights” is getting the feature treatment as well. In May, Warner Bros. won the bidding war over several other studios for the movie version of the Tony-winning musical. The project has “Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon Chu attached, along with the musical’s book writer and screenwriter Quiara Alegría Hudes.

Miranda and Levenson are repped by WME. The news was first reported by Deadline.