RIALTO CHATTER: Lopez Looking to 'Move' to 'HEIGHTS'?

The New York Post's PAGE SIX is revealing that Jennifer Lopez 'insiders' say Lopez is interested in starring in "In the Heights," the musical about Washington Heights. She went to the show twice last week and accompanied the producer, Meryl Poster, to dinner Friday evening at Nobu 57, where they discussed roles.

Another insider quotes PAGE SIX says Lopez might be more interested in a movie version, as Broadway shows are exhausting and time consuming, and Poster also produced the screen version of "Chicago." A rep for Lopez said, "She loves the play but is not Broadway bound." There has been other unconfirmed information that she would like to direct the film version.

Back in October 2008, at the REVIVAL: Broadway's Next Act panel discussion at Carnegie Hall, Hairspray movie director Adam Shankman revealed that Jennifer Lopez is very interested in guiding In The Heights to the silver screen. The diplomatic answer from 'Heights' star and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda was that while he'd be leaving the show in February 2009, he hopes the musical will continue to thrive without him, but did not comment directly on a film version. Lopez spent a very public evening at a performance of  In The Heights with her husband, Marc Anthony last year to celebrate her 39th birthday and is a very vocal fan of the show. 

Universal Pictures announced in November 2008 that it had acquired the rights to produce a feature film based on In The Heights, a multi-generational and multi-ethnic musical by Tony Award winner, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegria Hudes.

In The Heights has exhilarated audiences both on and off Broadway since February 2007 and won four Tony Awards this year including Best Musical, Best Choreography, Best Orchestration and a Best Original Score Award and Best Actor nomination for Miranda.

In The Heights' original Broadway producers, Kevin McCollum, Jeffrey Seller and Jill Furman, will executive produce and Quiara Alegria Hudes, who wrote the Tony nominated book for the show, will be writing the screen adaptation for the film.

Rumors indicate that Miranda is "expected to reprise his role in the film", but there is no information regarding casting at this time.

Set over three days in the upper Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights, In The Heights is an exhilarating musical journey into one of New York's most vibrant communities, where the lives of three generations come together in an unforgettable story of hope and self-discovery.

"In The Heights is a musical rich with storyline and characters that transcend the setting in which they are cast to entertain and speak to audiences from all walks of life," said Donna Langley, President of Production for Universal Pictures. "We are thrilled to be working with Lin-Manuel Miranda to bring this fantastic story to the big screen."

Twenty-eight year-old Miranda, who wrote the music and lyrics and currently stars in the show, first conceived In The Heights while in his sophomore year at Wesleyan University. In The Heights is the story of a vibrant and tight-knit community of New York's famed Washington Heights neighborhood. The music pulses with the hopes and dreams of three generations as they struggle to forge an identity in a neighborhood on the brink of transition.

Photo Credit: Sarah DeBoer/Retna Ltd.