'In the Heights' Cinematographer Alice Brooks Talks Jon M. Chu, Abandoned Subway Stations, and Washington Heights
Kaleena Steakle
June 10, 2021
Before we were ever taken to “The Room Where it Happens” or thrown smack into the middle of a rap-battle cabinet meeting in the Broadway smash-hit HAMILTON, creator Lin-Manuel Miranda first took audiences into a day in the life of his hometown neighborhood, Washington Heights. IN THE HEIGHTS made its Broadway debut on March 9th, 2008, and was nominated for an incredible 13 Tony awards, ultimately taking home 4 of the trophies. The resounding success of the show perked up the ears of film studios, and it was in the same year the show premiered that the early workings for a film adaptation began. After a decade of bouncing between potential studios, Warner Bros. finally acquired the rights in 2018 and tapped CRAZY RICH ASIANS director Jon M. Chu to helm.
Before we were ever taken to “The Room Where it Happens” or thrown smack into the middle of a rap-battle cabinet meeting in the Broadway smash-hit HAMILTON, creator Lin-Manuel Miranda first took audiences into a day in the life of his hometown neighborhood, Washington Heights. IN THE HEIGHTS made its Broadway debut on March 9th, 2008, and was nominated for an incredible 13 Tony awards, ultimately taking home 4 of the trophies. The resounding success of the show perked up the ears of film studios, and it was in the same year the show premiered that the early workings for a film adaptation began. After a decade of bouncing between potential studios, Warner Bros. finally acquired the rights in 2018 and tapped CRAZY RICH ASIANS director Jon M. Chu to helm.