Lin-Manuel Miranda wants 'In the Heights' rights back from The Weinstein Company

Quiara Alegría Hudes, with whom he wrote the play, released a lengthy statement.

ByABC News
October 13, 2017, 12:53 PM

— -- As the growing number of sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein continues to roil Hollywood, the creators of "In the Heights" are asking The Weinstein Co. to release the rights to a movie adaptation of the musical.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, best known for the hit show, "Hamilton," previously co-created another critically acclaimed Broadway musical about characters in the largely Hispanic neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City.

The Weinstein Company snapped up the rights to bring "In the Heights" to the big screen after the "Hamilton" musical became a smash hit.

Now "In the Heights" creators Quiara Alegria Hudes and Miranda want out.

"As a woman, I can no longer do business with The Weinstein Company," Hudes wrote in a lengthy Twitter post Thursday. "To those women who suffered directly at Harvey's hands, I extend my sincerest compassion and support...Unfortunately, 'In the Heights' is tied up in the company...I hope The Weinstein Company has enough grace, in the wake of these revelations, to respect my stand as a woman, and allow us to extricate 'In the Heights' from them."

Hudes also wrote, "Harvey Weinstein’s sexual predation is despicable enough, but combined with his staggering power it’s insidious, even devilish. Decades. He thrived on this. He built an empire on this."

Miranda, who like Hudes is a Pulitzer winner, tweeted his support, posting Hudes' note and adding: "As usual, Quiara does the prose the best. She speaks for us both."

The Weinstein Co. did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

Harvey Weinstein, who was fired this week from the company he helped found, has denied the claims made against him.

"Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein," his publicist told told the New Yorker magazine. "Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances. Mr. Weinstein obviously can’t speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr. Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual," according to the full statement from Weinstein's spokesperson. "Mr. Weinstein has begun counseling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path. Mr. Weinstein is hoping that, if he makes enough progress, he will be given a second chance.”

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