IN THE HEIGHTS Takes the Stage with Two New Trailers

Before he reintroduced the world to Alexander Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda found Broadway success with In The Heights. Now his Tony-award winning musical about New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood is coming to the big screen. It’s also coming to HBO Max, as part of Warner Bros. new dual release approach. And with the film pulling double duty, the studio has released two trailers for it. They both promise a big, bright, bold spectacle full of memorable musical numbers.

They also show why the film has one big advantage over its Broadway predecessor.

“Lights up on Washington Heights…The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is the likable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life.”

Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu helmed the big screen adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights. The film has a big legacy to live up to. The stage show won the 2008 Tony for Best Musical. But that’s also why the movie version could be a huge hit with audiences.

For those who saw the original Broadway show, Hamilton‘s John Laurens—Anthony Ramos—is taking over the lead from Miranda, who will instead play Mr. Piragüero, the Piragua Guy.

The movie also stars Corey Hawkins (BlacKkKlansman), singer/songwriter Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera (Vida), Olga Merediz (Broadway’s In the Heights), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Broadway’s Rent), Gregory Diaz IV (Broadway’s Matilda the Musical), Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Dascha Polanco (Orange is the New Black), and Jimmy Smits (Star Wars).

A man and a woman hold hands outside while a large group surrounds them and cheers them on in Warner Bros. In the HeightsWarner Bros.

If these trailers look authentic to the neighborhood its set in, that’s because they are. The movie was filmed primarily on location in New York City’s Washington Heights. That already gives it a leg up on the Broadway show, which was confined to taking place on a Broadway stage (obviously).

The movie also has one other advantage. It debuts during the same time the musical explores. In The Heights comes to both theaters and HBO Max this summer, June 18.