By James White | Posted 6 Jun 2019

As work continues apace on the movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical In The Heights, the man himself has let slip a small but interesting piece of casting news via Twitter. He's announced that singer and actor Marc Anthony will be playing a role not found in the original stage show, that of Sonny's father.

In the musical, Sonny works with the main character Usnavi (originated by Miranda on stage and played by Anthony Ramos for the film) in his bodega. He's described as sassy and seemingly lazy, always ready with a quip, but with an intelligent, thoughtful side. In the film, he'll be played by Gregory Diaz IV. The part of his father is, according to Miranda, "small but pivotal".

Heights, which has Jon M. Chu directing, focuses on a variety of characters living in the neighborhood of Washington Heights, on the northern tip of Manhattan. Usnavi, a bodega owner, pines for the gorgeous girl working in the neighboring beauty salon and dreams of winning the lottery and escaping to the shores of his native Dominican Republic, which comes true in unexpected fashion, leaving him with a big choice to make.

Meanwhile, Nina, a childhood friend of Usnavi's, has returned to the neighborhood from her first year at college with surprising news for her parents, who have spent their life savings on building a better life for their daughter. Ultimately, Usnavi and the residents of the close-knit neighborhood get a dose of what it means to be home.

The cast for the film version also includes, Jimmy Smits, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace and Olga Merediz, and the film will be in cinemas on 26 June next year.

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