Theatre News

Netflix buys rights to Tick, Tick…Boom musical film directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda

The upcoming adaptation is based on Jonathan Larson’s musical

Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lin-Manuel Miranda
© Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage

Netflix has bought the rights to a film adaptation of Jonathan Larson's 2001 musical Tick, Tick…Boom!, which will be directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

According to a report from Variety, Netflix recently won a bidding war to the rights for the adaptation, which will be penned by Dear Evan Hansen writer Steven Levenson based on Larson's original work. The RENT creator worked on the piece from 1990 but it was left unfinished when he died in 1996, before being completed by playwright David Auburn.

The musical is set in 1990 New York and follows Jon, a young theatre composer who works as waiter while writing a musical. It had its London premiere at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2005, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Tee Jaye and Cassidy Janson.

Miranda will direct and co-produce the film, with other producers including Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Julie Oh.

No release date or casting for the film has been revealed, though Variety has said that Andrew Garfield is rumoured to lead the cast.

Miranda's own musical, In The Heights, is currently being adapted into a film, with a release date in 2020. On social Miranda tweeted about the Tick, Tick…Boom! news saying "Hi Netflix…".