Lin-Manuel Miranda (Moana) looks like he’s ready to “come out to play-ayy!”
According to reports, the Oscar-nominated composer and Broadway superstar will adapt Sol Yurick’s 1965 novel, The Warriors, as a stage musical. The Warriors was adapted into the 1979 film of the same name, which has since become a cult classic.
The Warriors tells the story of a turf war between rival New York City street gangs. When the Warriors are suspected of killing a gang leader, they have to find a way to survive and get back to their home in Coney Island. The original movie was directed by Walter Hill.
This will be Miranda’s first stage production since writing the Tony Award-winning musical, Hamilton. Since then, Miranda has been working in Hollywood where he produced the film version of his play In the Heights and wrote music for the animated films Moana and Encanto. He also made his directorial debut in the 2021 biopic, Tick, Tick… Boom!, about the life and career of late Rent composer Jonathan Larson.
Some of Miranda’s other contributions to the stage include co-writer music for the musical adaptation of the 2000 cheerleading comedy Bring It On and writing additional lyrics for the Broadway musical New York, New York in 2023.
Online users seemed mixed about what Miranda could do to adapt the cult movie into something entertaining for the stage. Some were excited about the project.
Others weren’t sure a movie like The Warriors needed to be turned into a musical.
Either way, it’s safe to say that whatever Lin-Manuel Miranda comes up with, it’s going to be a spectacle.