Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegría Hudes, who penned the book of In the Heights, took to Twitter to urge the Weinstein Company to drop the film rights to the Tony-winning musical she co-authored with Lin-Manuel Miranda. The request comes in the week following an increasing series of sexual assault and harassment allegations against film and Broadway producer Harvey Weinstein.
READ: Jay Z Will Be Among Producers of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights Film
“As a woman, I can no longer do business with The Weinstein Company. To those women who suffered directly at Harvey’s hands, I extend my sincerest compassion and support,” Hudes wrote.
She continued, “In the Heights is part of my heart and soul. I created it about respect, community, and solidarity. I hope The Weinstein Company has enough grace, in the wake of the revelations, to respect my stand as a woman, and to allow us to extricate In the Heights from them. In the Heights deserves a fresh start in a studio where I’ll feel safe (as will my actors and collaborators).”
Minutes later, Miranda shared the tweet, adding, “As usual, Quiara does the prose best. She speaks for us both.”
On #IntheHeights and #TheWeinsteinCompany pic.twitter.com/cmfY5FurSb
— Quiara A Hudes (@quiarahudes) October 12, 2017
Hudes had been adapting her book for the screen, while Jon M. Chu was to direct.
Plans from the Weinstein Company to produce the film were first reported in May 2016. The project had been in development years before then; Universal Pictures had initially picked it up but released the rights in 2011.
The evening, featuring the American Pops Orchestra, was filmed in February in Washington, D.C.
The NBC broadcast also features the Radio City Rockettes, Cynthia Erivo, Billy Porter, Cole Escola, Lea Salonga, Idina Menzel, and more.
The annual event will take place in NYC and on television and streaming November 28.
The documentary about EGOT winner Liza Minnelli has set New York and Los Angeles premiere dates.
The Wicked film star won a Tony Award co-starring with Hudson in the 2015 revival.
The vocals you hear from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were recorded live on set.
Nic Rouleau, Jacob Gutierrez, Telly Leung, Christian Borle, André De Shields, and more will be featured in the evening filmed in Washington, D.C.
The first of the two-part film brought in a staggering $164 million in its global opening weekend box office.
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