When Lin-Manuel Miranda first set out to adapt it into a film, he imagined it more so as a “little indie musical,” but when he collaborated with Chu he realized how rare the opportunity would be to turn the story into something filmed on a huge scale. The movie was shot on an anamorphic scale in order to provide a theatrical experience that stretches across the entirety of the screen in theaters. In The Heights stars Hamilton’s Anthony Ramos, Stephanie Beatriz, Jimmy Smits, and Melissa Barrera among its impressive ensemble.