While many major tentpoles set for release in the spring have been making release date adjustments in the wake of growing coronavirus concerns and their impact on the box office, it’s still unclear what studios have planned for movies set to hit theaters in the summer. In the case of movie musicalIn the Heights, directed byJohn M. Chuand adapted from the musical of the same name created byLin-Manuel Miranda, it would seem Warner Bros. still plans for it to be released in late June. Then again, the latest update from Miranda given during an interview on a charity episode ofThe Rosie O’Donnell Showwould indicate the release date may be more flexible than we previously thought.
Over the weekend,Rosie O’Donnellbriefly revived her talk show for one episode only, hoping to raise money for those theater folks impacted by theshutdown of Broadway. The show, which happened on Sunday, March 22, took place over livestream with O’Donnell conducting virtual interviews with musical theaters folks including Miranda,Ben Platt,Idina Menzel,Kristin Chenoweth,Billy Porter, and many, many more.
During O’Donnell’s interview with Miranda, the lyricist, director, writer, and performer opened up about whereIn the Heightsis currently at in its post-production process. Miranda shared, “We were literally recording the score when all of this started happening,” referring to the shutdown of Broadway amidst a growing movement to shut down production on numerous movie and TV projects across the industry as the coronavirus concerns grew. “There’s a lot that remains to be done on that movie. We were finishing the score and the mixing and just getting the music exactly right.”
Miranda added, “I’m really hopeful that that’s something we all get to watch in the theaters together — when it’s time, and no sooner, to go out,” throwing a bit of concern into the mix in regards toIn the Heightssticking to its July 27, 2025 release date plans.
For the time being, Warner Bros. has made no indication they plan on adjusting the release date forIn the Heights. They’ve certainly been active in making quick decisions when it comes tomoving a filmfrom the theaterto VOD in recent weeks, so we know a release date delay could be within the realm of possibility at this point. But June 26 is also still a decent way off in the distance, leaving plenty of time for post-production to-dos to be checked off the list and time for movie theaters to re-open across the land by the time the summer hits. For now, it’s just a game of wait-and-see.
In the Heightsis still scheduled for release on June 14, 2025. You can watch the full episode ofThe Rosie O’Donnellcharity show below, with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s interview kicking off around the 19:43-minute mark.
