Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ‘In The Heights’ Will Be An Oscar Contender In 2021

After close to a decade trying to get a film adaptation of ‘In The Heights’ greenlit by a major studio, Lin-Manuel Miranda will soon be able to pay for a ticket at any movie theater in America and watch what was once a germ of an idea now become a potential Oscar contender for Best Picture in 2021.

How so? If you look back at the Academy Awards history of the last 20 years, you can see how many musicals or musical biopics have been nominated for an Oscar award. Here’s a list to jog your memory.

2019 – Star is Born (8 nominations, 1 win) Bohemian Rhapsody (5 nominations, 3 wins)
2017 – La La Land (14 nominations, 5 wins)
2015 – Into The Woods (3 nominations)
2013 – Les Misérables (8 nominations, 3 wins)
2010 – Nine (4 nominations)
2005 – Ray (6 nominations, 2 wins)
*2003 – Chicago (13 nominations, 6 wins) winner Best Picture
2002 – Moulin Rouge (8 nominations, 2 wins)

Out of the nine awarded films listed above, seven were nominated for Best Picture and one won.
‘In The Heights’ is a musical and we can clearly see how the Academy voters feel about musicals. They love them. Add the fact that in a time when audiences are demanding their content be more diverse, this Latinx story arrives at a crucial juncture for the Latinx community. As the largest minority population in the United States at 18.3% (60 million strong) and still the number one movie-going demographic in Hollywood at 24%, Hispanics are eager for their ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ cultural moment. As a community deprived of seeing film studios rarely tell their stories on the giant screen, ‘In The Heights’ finds itself at the most opportune time to make a statement.

Corey Hawkins and Leslie Grace

“But Jack, what are you saying? It’s too early to talk about that stuff. The movie hasn’t even come out yet. First, let’s see how it does.” The research and social factors support the argument. Let’s remember that Miranda’s story of a New York Latino neighborhood is infused with hope, love, family, and the pursuit of a better life. It’s the type of script that voters love to root for. Look what it did for Demian Bichir’s career.

‘In The Heights’ also garnered Broadway’s highest honor and made history as the first Latino story to win a Tony for Best Musical in 2008. Why then wouldn’t it translate to a wide moviegoing audience? Look at Pixar’s ‘Coco‘, a story of a Mexican boy who learns the beauty of remembering lost loved ones, it won Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song for “Remember Me” last year. ‘Coco’ was a critical and commercial success and still holds a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Not to be forgotten in all of this is Miranda’s indirect pursuit of the highly coveted EGOT (winning the Emmy, Grammy, Tony, and Oscar in one’s career), which is at play here. Only fifteen artists have accomplished it including Rita Moreno, the only Hispanic on the list. Miranda could be the second. He is a co-writer, co-producer, and songwriter in the film which offers him multiple ways to win an Oscar. The question I keep on asking myself is why wouldn’t Miranda take advantage of his own movie to star in it himself as the protagonist Usnavi?

‘In the Heights’ is directed by Jon Chu and stars Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, singer/songwriter Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanco, and Jimmy Smits. It will be released June 26, 2020, and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.