From 'Hamilton'to 'Encanto', Lin-Manuel Miranda Is Everywhere: Here's Where Else You Can See His Work

If it feels like you're seeing (or hearing) Miranda everywhere lately, it's because you probably are!

lin-manuel-miranda-2.jpg
Matthew Eisman/Getty.

Lin-Manuel Miranda has something in common with the titular character of his musical Hamilton: He writes like he's running out of time.

The 43-year-old's latest work is Encanto, the buzzy animated Disney film about the magical Madrigal family and its "perfectly ordinary" central character, Mirabel (Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Stephanie Beatriz). Miranda wrote the music and lyrics for the enchanting film, including the eternally-stuck-in-your-head "We Don't Talk About Bruno." ("No, no, no, no ...")

Shortly before, his directorial debut, the film adaptation of Jonathan Larson's Tick, Tick... Boom!, dropped to critical acclaim. And if that wasn't enough, the much-delayed big-screen version of his first Broadway musical, In the Heights, triumphed in theaters over the summer.

Any of these three projects could earn Miranda — who already has two Emmys, three Grammys and three Tonys under his belt, in addition to other honors — an Oscar nomination and even a win, which would give him the elusive, exclusive EGOT status.

In honor of all the creator has going on (and his Jan. 16 birthday!) we're looking back on the married father-of-two's past credits and future projects — of which there are many.

What can we say? The man is "Non-Stop."

Freestyle Love Supreme

Before Hamilton was even a twinkle in Miranda's eye, the creator was performing an improvised hip-hop musical in the basement of The Drama Book Shop in New York City. Fifteen years later, in 2019, the Freestyle Love Supreme made its way to Broadway. It also made the move to TV in 2014, and the documentary, We Are Freestyle Love Supreme, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020. A stage musical was set to return to Broadway in late 2021,

The stage musical made a brief return to the Broadway stage in late 2021, with Miranda himself dropping in for a few December performances. Next up: a tour!

In The Heights

After an Off-Broadway run in 2007, Miranda's first hit musical opened on Broadway in March 2008. It was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won four, including the award for best musical and best original score. It was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2009.

Listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day for more on In The Heights.

Bring It On: The Musical

Following the success of Broadway's In The Heights, Miranda co-composed and co-wrote the music for Bring It On: The Musical, which played a national tour from 2011 to 2012 before a limited run on Broadway.

21 Chump Street

Miranda also lent his talents to a 14-minute musical (you'll recognize Anthony Ramos, who stars in In the Heights and Hamilton) based on a true story that was first reported in the NPR series, "This American Life." We apologize in advance for the songs getting stuck in your head.

Moana

Though Moana premiered in 2017, after the monumental success of Hamilton, Miranda began his work on the animated film months before the popular stage show premiered at the Public Theater in New York City. The Disney film was Miranda's first movie score (and you can hear his vocals in "We Know the Way"); he wrote it with composers Opetaia Foa'i and Mark Mancina. The movie was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2017 Academy Awards, and "How Far I'll Go" was up for Best Original Song.

Mary Poppins Returns

Miranda earned a Golden Globe nomination for best lead actor in a comedy or musical for his performance as Jack The Lamplighter in Mary Poppins Returns, in which he danced, sang, rapped and put on a Cockney accent alongside Emily Blunt's Mary Poppins.

Hamilton

What started as a mixtape that earned a few laughs and confused looks at the White House in 2009 turned into a full-on phenomenon. Miranda took the story of the "10 dollar founding father" and created a hip-hop musical of Alexander Hamilton's life that earned 11 Tony Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for drama and a Grammy Award.

After hypnotizing theater-goers at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City for years (not to mention its various U.S. tours, Los Angeles, Chicago and London residencies), Hamilton came to audiences on Disney+ in July 2020, breaking streaming records and giving the show a new life on film. It was nominated for two Golden Globes — one for best picture-musical or comedy, and another for best actor-musical or comedy for Miranda.

Vivo

Miranda kept himself busy (the understatement of the century) by starring in and writing music for the 2021 Netflix animated film, Vivo. Miranda plays a kinkajou who performs music for crowds in Havana, Cuba.

The movie has been a long time coming: Miranda originally pitched the idea in 2010 after the success of In The Heights.

The Little Mermaid

Miranda, who has long been a vocal fan of The Little Mermaid — his son, Sebastian, with wife Vanessa Nadal, is partly named after one of Ariel's sidekicks — is working on the music for Disney's starry 2023 live-action version, with the first film's original composer Alan Menken.

And if this all isn't enough (for some it might not be!), Miranda has also penned three books. Hamilton: The Revolution (2016) tells the story of the musical's making, with behind-the-scenes secrets and perspective from critic Jeremy McCarter. In the Heights: Finding Home (2021) is a similar telling of Miranda's other Broadway baby, again with commentary from McCarter and screenwriter/librettist Quiara Alegría Hudes. And Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You (2018) is basically what it sounds like: a collection of affirmations for readers to practice day and night, based in part off of tweets Miranda used to send twice daily.

So what comes next for Miranda? Only time will tell.

Related Articles