Hamilton Tony Nominee Phillipa Soo Cast in Lin-Manuel Miranda Disney Project Moana
(© David Gordon)
Hamilton star Phillipa Soo, who is nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the hit musical, has been cast in another project from Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. According to Entertainment Weekly, Soo will play the villager Motunui in the upcoming Disney movie Moana.
Moana, a film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, follows "a spirited teenager who sets out to prove herself a master wayfinder," according to press materials. The movie will feature the musical talents of Miranda as well as Grammy-winning composer Mark Mancina (The Lion King) and Opetaia Foa'i (founder and lead singer of the world music award-winning band Te Vaka). The movie is set to open in theaters November 23, with directors John Musker and Ron Clements (The Princess and the Frog, Aladdin) helming the project.
Featuring book and score by Miranda and direction by Thomas Kail, Hamilton began performances at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on July 13, with opening night on August 6. Inspired Ron Chernow's biography Alexander Hamilton, the musical explores the life of the American Founding Father. It is nominated for 16 Tony Awards. Phillipa Soo plays the role of Eliza Hamilton in the Broadway musical, opposite Miranda as Hamilton.
