Lin-Manuel Miranda Hints at ‘In The Heights’ Delay: ‘A Lot Remains to Be Done’

The film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In The Heights” may push its June opening date over unfinished post-production and shutdowns due to coronavirus, the Tony winner suggested on Sunday.

Appearing in a livestream interview with Rosie O’Donnell, billed as a remounting of her successful daytime talk show, Miranda said there was “a lot that remains to be done” on the film, directed by “Crazy Rich Asians” helmer Jon M. Chu.

“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,” Miranda said.

The project has already been tapped as an awards contender, and three months would be a decent amount of time to complete post-production if coronavirus had not resulted in a statewide shelter-in-place order in California. A Warner Bros. spokesperson had no immediate comment on Miranda’s remarks.

Warner Bros. is one of numerous studios in the past week to make a major shift in how and when films are viewed — by dramatically pulling up the home entertainment and streaming video releases of big films. Margot Robbie’s “Birds of Prey” and Ben Affleck’s “The Way Back” were made available for purchase at home months earlier than expected. Disney pushed out Pixar’s “Onward” just two weeks after it premiered in theaters.

Universal lead the pack, unleashing “The Hunt,” “Emma,” and “The Invisible Man” to digital platforms early. Movie theater owners in America traditionally expect 90 days of exclusivity with new films before they move to different market windows, like video-on-demand and streaming runs on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.

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