The movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's release of Hamilton on Disney+. The production gave the world a chance to see the musical with the original cast that took Broadway by storm, but it is another Miranda creation that is getting an actual Hollywood movie adaptation.
Lin-Manuel Miranda created the earliest version of In the Heights while in college but later adapted it for Broadway. He starred as Usnavi de la Vega in the production, which was reimagined with new casts for additional performances across America. Warner Bros. began developing the movie adaptation in 2018 and brought Hamilton's renewed popularity.
There will inevitably be comparisons between In the Heights and Hamilton due to both being musical creations of Lin-Manuel Miranda. While there are plenty of differences between the two stories, one similarity between them is the cast. There are multiple actors in In the Heights who were in Hamilton, and here's the complete list.
Anthony Ramos
After a ing role in Hamilton, Anthony Ramos is set to be the lead of In the Heights. He's playing Usnavi de la Vega, a first-generation Dominican-American whose parents died when he was younger. Usnavi owns his own store in Washington Heights and has dreams of going to the Dominican Republic. The actor previously played Usnavi in a D.C. production of In the Heights. Ramos takes on this role after playing Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
In addition to writing music for In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda will also appear as Mr. Piragüero, the Piragua Guy. The character has a small role in Miranda's original musical as he sells his Spanish shaved ice to fend off the intense summer heat. The minor appearance for Miranda is a stark contrast to his involvement in Hamilton, as he played the lead role of Alexander Hamilton. Miranda is also known for his appearances in His Dark Materials.
Chris Jackson
Chris Jackson is the only other Hamilton cast member confirmed to return for In The Heights. Jackson originally played one of the lead roles of Benny in the earliest iterations of the musical and stayed in the role through the Broadway run. Lin-Manuel Miranda confirmed Jackson has a cameo in In the Heights. He can be seen in the trailer in a food truck of some kind. Jackson gave a memorable performance as When They See Us.
