IN THE HEIGHTS Gets Screenwriter

Back in December, it was announced that Kenny Ortega (High School Musical movies) after leaving that FOOTLOOSE job, is going to direct the movie adaptation of IN THE HEIGHTS, The Tony Award winning broadway is a musical with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. Variety said scribe Marc Klein (A Good Year, Serendipity) is going to write the screenplay…

The story explores three days in the characters’ lives in the New York City Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights with the score featuring hip-hop, salsa, merengue and soul music…

Unlike any other musical movie based on broadway that tends to recast its original stage actors, IN THE HEIGHTS movie will have Lin-Manuel Miranda attached to reprise his starring role. The movie’s going to use his music as well. And Quiara Alegria Hudes, is writing the script.
“a bodega owner who inherited his grandfather’s lottery windfall plots his retirement to a Dominican Republic beach. As he bids farewell to his customers on the block, he becomes conflicted about leaving behind a group that has become family.”

Production is set to start this summer.