Lin-Manuel Miranda is a noted fan of bringing New York City stories to the stage and screen (Hamilton lyrics call it “the greatest city in the world,” after all), and he’ll be tackling a new tale set in his hometown for his next project: a stage musical adapting Sol Yurick’s 1965 novel The Warriors—previously the source material for Walter Hill’s much-loved 1979 cult classic.
According to Variety (the news was first reported by the New York Post), “Details for the project are still murky, but an individual with knowledge of Miranda’s plans confirmed his involvement. Both film and novel center on a fictional street gang in New York City, who travel from the Bronx to their home turf in Coney Island after they’re framed for the murder of a respected gang leader. The film of The Warriors isn’t a musical, but it does feature songs by Barry De Vorzon, Joe Walsh, and Arnold McCuller. Though the movie projected an arresting image of urban decay (and was shot as the city teetered on the edge of insolvency), Yurick’s novel provided an even darker look at street life.”
Though the most-quoted line in The Warriors (“Come out to play-yay!”) isn’t from the book—it was actually improvised for the film by actor David Patrick Kelly, who plays villainous Rogues gang leader Luther—you have to hope Miranda will find a way to work it in. (Also, though he’ll presumably pen all the songs himself, he’s gotta get a reference to “In the City” in there somehow, right?) Miranda will have his work cut out for him containing a story about a chase across the entire city of New York on the stage, but if it gets the Baseball Furies to Broadway, we’re cautiously supportive. After all, as io9’s Germain Lussier remarked when we first read this news, this is the same creator who made “a musical about the dude on the $10 bill” a worldwide sensation.
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