J.J. Abrams
After the blockbuster success of “The Force Awakens,” J.J. Abrams hasn’t yet picked his next directorial outing, but it’s safe to say that after a string of hits, and reviving not just one but two giant space franchises, that Abrams is one of only a handful of filmmakers who could direct whatever the hell he wanted next. Is he already angling for the “Hamilton” gig? After the show’s success, he actually enlisted Miranda to help on “Star Wars,” with the two co-writing the music the scene at Maz’s castle. Since then, they seem to have become friends, with Abrams penning the tribute to Miranda in Time’s recent 100 Most Influential People issue, where he called “Hamilton” “one of the best things — not just theatrical events — you’ll ever see.” Maybe Miranda would want the film version of “Hamilton’ in the hands of someone he knows and trusts, particularly when that person directed the biggest-domestic-grossing movie of all time. That said, even if Abrams does want the job (and it would likely help land him on awards radars, something Abrams is likely interested in tackling next), there’s nothing in his filmography to suggest he’d be well-suited to it, and we say this believing he’s a very talented director, just one whose skillset doesn’t seem particularly complimentary to “Hamilton.” Perhaps the best outcome is that Abrams produces through his Bad Robot company, but leaves the directing in other hands.
Damien Chazelle
One of the themes of “Hamilton” is the self-destructive nature of great men: Hamilton, as Miranda paints him, is his own worst enemy, his death as much his own fault as Burr’s. It’s a theme that director Damien Chazelle tackled in his thrilling breakthough “Whiplash,” and he’s someone that could be well-suited to a “Hamilton” movie. The jazz-inflected, percussive “Whiplash” wasn’t actually Chazelle’s debut: that was actually the micro-budget musical “Guy And Madeline On A Park Bench,” and he’s returning to the genre with the upcoming “La La Land,” starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, an absolute rarity in that it’s an original musical written directly for the screen. If it works (and being pushed into awards season suggests that Lionsgate are excited), expect Chazelle to become someone who gets a ton of musicals offered to him, and “Hamilton” could well be one. That said, Chazelle seems like an old soul, more Jacques Demy than Spike Lee, and maybe someone with a little more hip-hop in their bones would be better suited. And “La La Land” could end up with difficult second album syndrome, or maybe more importantly, Chazelle might decide he wants a change of pace. Still, it’s an intriguing proposition.
Thomas Kail
Who? Well, while movie fans might not be that aware of him, Kail is a big name in Broadway circles, given that he directed “Hamilton.” Kail was at Wesleyan University with Miranda, and they -co-created a hip-hop group, Freestyle Love Supreme, together. He then broke through as director of Miranda’s “In The Heights’ and though he’s had success with other plays, both on and off Broadway, including the sports-themed “Lombardi” and “Magic/Bird,” he’s best known for collaborating closely with the writer/composer, and returned for “Hamilton,” where his staging won rave reviews. He’s not yet moved into movies, but also got good notices for helming the recent Fox live broadcast of “Grease,” where the dynamic framing and movement of the camera made it look some of its live TV musical rivals look positively antiquated. It suggests that he has skills far beyond a prosenium arch, and potentially ambitions that lead that way too, and there’s plenty of precedent for theater directors surfing musicals to big-screen success — Rob Marshall, Stephen Daldry and Sam Mendes being just three of them. Miranda seems to be deeply loyal to Kail, and he could well make the director part of the deal. David Ehrlich at Rolling Stone is among those who support the idea, and so long as Kail approaches the film version as a different endeavor rather than just filming the stage show, we’re on board too.
Also Possibilities: Miranda himself is refreshingly and rightly immodest about his ambitions, and it’s not absurd to think that he might want to direct the film himself (particularly if the film’s a little way off). Otherwise, expect everyone from Steven Spielberg, Rob Marshall, Bill Condon and Ang Lee to Spike Jonze, F. Gary Gray, Marielle Heller and Julie Taymor to be in the conversation somewhere here. Who would you pick? Let us know in the comments.
