Photo: Mat Hayward/Getty Images for The Latinx House
How do you write like you’re running out of time? After the success of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda went on a songwriting streak, contributing to the soundtracks of movies like Moana, Encanto, and The Little Mermaid. He did write lyrics for this year’s production of New York, New York, so it’s not like he stayed completely away from Broadway, of course. And now he’s making his way back to the stage … almost. On August 1, Miranda officially revealed an upcoming concept album for a Warriors musical that he wrote in collaboration with actress and playwright Eisa Davis. The adaptation of the 1979 cult-classic film, itself based on Sol Yurick’s 1965 novel, will feature a “star-studded cast,” per the press release. It was previously reported by Bloomberg that the album will feature both pop and Broadway stars — we’re hoping Laura Benanti gets on a track with Playboi Carti, basically. The album is out on October 18, executive produced by Nas. Yes, that Nas.
“We’ve spent the past three years musicalizing the Warriors’ journey home, from the South Bronx to Coney Island,” Miranda and Davis said in a statement. “Along the way we’ve gotten to work with a lot of our favorite artists, and we’ll be announcing their roles on the album in the weeks ahead.” The plot follows a fictional New York City gang that is falsely accused of killing another gang’s leader. So, you know, it’s a bit of a tone shift from something like “Scuttlebutt.”
This post has been updated.