Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis's concept album Warriors, based on the 1979 cult film about warring New York gangs, is set to become a Broadway musical in spring 2025. The production will open at the Lunt-Fontanne theatre, co-directed by Andy Blankenbuehler, who choreographed Miranda's Hamilton, and Jenny Koons. Blankenbuehler will also choreograph the show.
From Ancient Epic to Modern Musical
The original story, written by Sol Yurick in 1965, was inspired by Xenophon's ancient Greek epic Anabasis. It was adapted into Walter Hill's 1979 action film The Warriors, which follows the Coney Island gang's perilous journey back to the Bronx after being falsely accused of killing the leader of the city's largest gang. Miranda and Davis's concept album, released in 2024 to critical acclaim, reimagines the story with a gender-swapped cast of female Warriors.
Creative Vision and Casting
In a New York Times interview on Tuesday, Davis highlighted a key line from the album that also appears in the musical: “What do you do when they kill everything you believe in?” She added, “And I think that that question is a question that all of us are wrestling with in the world right now.” The show will feature a cast of about 20 and include a book, distinguishing it from a sung-through musical.
The 26-track album boasts an exceptional lineup, including Lauryn Hill, Marc Anthony, Shenseea, and top rappers like Nas and Busta Rhymes, who appear on the opening number “Survive the Night.” Davis acknowledged the challenge of replicating such a star-studded cast for eight shows a week, telling the Guardian in 2024: “We invited all these incredible artists we would never have got for eight shows a week.”
Gender-Swapped Warriors
In Miranda and Davis's version, the seven Warriors are all women, performed on the album by Kenita Miller, Sasha Hutchings, Phillipa Soo, Aneesa Folds, Amber Gray, Gizel Jiménez, and Jasmine Cephas Jones—many of whom are Hamilton alumni. Julia Harriman plays the new recruit Mercy, while Australian metalcore singer Kim Dracula portrays the villain Luther, known for taunting the Warriors with “come out to play.”
Casting for the stage production has yet to be announced. Miranda, whose Hamilton has run on Broadway since 2015, is also directing a film version of Dave Malloy's musical Octet, starring Rachel Zegler and Amanda Seyfried.
