Lin-Manuel Miranda, Eisa Davis Reimagine Classic NYC Cult Film Warriors as Concept Album

Pulitzer Prize-winning Hamilton and Encanto composer Lin-Manuel Miranda and Pulitzer-nominated actor-songwriter Eisa Davis have announced Warriors a concept album inspired by the novel and 1979 classic New York City film, The Warriors. The album was executive-produced by Grammy-winning rapper (and Queens, New York native) Nas.

Pulitzer Prize-winning “Hamilton” and “Encanto” composer Lin-Manuel Miranda and Pulitzer-nominated actor-songwriter Eisa Davis have announced “Warriors” — a concept album inspired by the novel and 1979 classic New York City film, “The Warriors.” The album was executive-produced by Grammy-winning rapper (and Queens, New York native) Nas.

The 26-song album is slated for an Oct. 18 release on Atlantic Records, and “features a star-studded cast of voices set to be revealed in the coming weeks,” the announcement promises. The album was produced by multi-instrumentalist Mike Elizondo, who has worked closely with Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent, Carrie Underwood and Fiona Apple, as well as Miranda.

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Based on the 1965 novel by Sol Yurick, the dystopian storyline follows a fictitious New York City gang as they ride the subway from Coney Island to the Bronx and back, pursued by a rival gang that incorrectly believes they’ve murdered its leader.

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“We’ve spent the past three years musicalizing the Warriors’ journey home, from the South Bronx to Coney Island,” the Miranda and Davis said in a joint statement. “Along the way we’ve gotten to work with a lot of our favorite artists, and we’ll be announcing their roles on the album in the weeks ahead. We can’t wait to share these songs with you on October 18th.”

While news of Miranda’s involvement with the project was reported last summer and was described as a stage musical, a source tells Variety that there are currently no stage plans for “Warriors.”

Miranda is best known as the creator of the zeitgeist-smashing “Hamilton.” His other Broadway bona fides include the Tony-winning “In the Heights” and “Bring It On: The Musical.” He also wrote the music for Disney’s animated films “Moana” and “Encanto,” whose soundtrack notably includes the viral earworm “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” He recently provided a polish on the lyrics for Kander and Ebb musical “New York, New York,” inspired by the 1977 film directed by Martin Scorsese. He also returned to the Great White Way for “Freestyle Love Supreme,” an improvisational hip-hop comedy show that enjoyed a successful run at the Booth Theatre in 2019 and 2022.

Davis is an Obie-winning actor, writer and singer-songwriter who was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for her play “Bulrusher,” and wrote and starred in “Angela’s Mixtape,” named a best of the year by The New Yorker. Other plays include ‘Ramp,” “The History of Light,” “Paper Armor” and “Umkovu.”

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