‘Tick, Tick ... Boom!' Was Rejected by NYFF, But Ready For AFI Premiere

Just because a film was rejected by the New York Film Festival does not mean that it isn’t any good. Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” was rejected in the thick of awards season back in the fall of 2016. So was Denis Villeneuve’s “Arrival.” Just this year, Justin Kurzel’s “Nitram,” one of the best movies of Cannes 2021, was rejected (no doubt due to the controversy behind it).

So, consider me unsurprised that the upcoming musical “Tick, Tick ... Boom!” got a resounding nay from NYFF this year. It happens a lot over in New York. Their tastes are more thoroughly refined to adhere to the high-brow Lincoln Center crowd and there are a very limited amount of movies that can be chosen on a per-year basis.

The trailer for “Tick, Tick ... Boom!” was released today. The film comes to us from “Hamilton” scribe Lin Manuel Miranda, who actually steps behind the camera for the first time with this film based on the autobiographical musical from playwright Jonathan Larson. Larson’s play was rather stunning, it was one of the few shows I actually got a chance to see these last few years. The fact that Miranda hasn’t written it is also a plus, in my books at least.

Andrew Garfield stars as Jon, an aspiring composer worried he’s made the wrong career choice. Alongside Garfield is “High School Musical” alum Vannessa Hudgens, and none other than Bradley Whitford (“Get Out”) as legendary composer Stephen Sondheim.

“Tick, Tick ... Boom!” is set to open the AFI Film Festival on November 10th.