It all began with a dream. Well, dreams, actually. First up, a pre-Hamilton Lin-Manuel Miranda's dream of In The Heights, a Broadway musical about the vibrant culture and community of his predominantly Latin neighborhood, New York's Washington Heights, which was ultimately nominated for 13 Tony Awards in 2008 (and won four of them, including Best Musical). Next, director Jon M. Chu's dream for a big-screen adaption, which he pitched to Miranda during a trip to New York City around five years ago. "I presented him with an idea that probably sounded crazy to him," Chu tells EW. "I told him I wanted to bring the characters' dreams to life — to pick apart how they see the world and let it invade the space of Washington Heights."