'Hamilton' musical to be released in cinemas

US actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, pictured in 2018, said the film would be a live performance by the original cast

New York (AFP) - A big screen version of smash hit musical "Hamilton" is coming to movie theaters in 2021, its creator announced on Monday.

The show -- which has become one of the highest grossing Broadway musicals of all time since its 2015 debut -- tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the United States.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also stars in "Hamilton," said the film would be a live performance of show at New York's Richard Rodgers Theatre that comprised the original cast.

It will be distributed by Disney and released on October 15, 2021, he said in a tweet. Variety magazine said it would get theatrical runs in the US and Canada.

"Hamilton" has made $633 million in box office receipts and has been seen by 2.5 million people in New York alone since arriving on Broadway in August 2015, according to Broadway.com.

A production of "Hamilton" has also been on in London's West End since 2017 and a three-year tour of the show just ended in Chicago.

Mixing political history with rap and hip hop, the show won 11 Tony Awards in 2016, including best musical.

Another of Miranda's musicals, "In the Heights," has been adapted for theaters and is due out in June.

© Agence France-Presse