Lin-Manuel Miranda is ready to make history yet again as he announced the stacked cast of his upcoming musical film ‘Octet’.
Written and created by Dave Malloy, ‘Octet’ is an acapella musical about eight individuals who gather in a church basement to talk about their internet addiction.
It was first staged Off Broadway in 2019 under Signature Theatre and directed by Annie Tippe.
In an Instagram post on April 14, Miranda uploaded a rehearsal sign-in sheet for the movie, with a caption listing the names and a simple “Rehearsals have begun”.
Powerhouse team
Among them are ‘Hamilton’ alumni Jonathan Groff and Phillipa Soo, who originated the roles of King George III and Eliza, respectively, in Miranda’s award-winning musical.
Amanda Seyfried, already best known for her performance in iconic movie musicals ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘Mamma Mia’, is also part of the cast.
She will be joined by Rachel Zegler, who recently won the 2026 Olivier award for Best Actress in a musical for her role in West End’s ‘Evita’.
READ MORE: ‘Paddington The Musical’ dominates 2026 Olivier Awards with seven accolades
Capping off the powerhouse casting are Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbot Elementary), Gaten Matarazzo (Stranger Things), Tramell Tillman (Severance), and Paul-Jordan Jansen.
While now famous for their television roles, Ralph, Matarazzo and Tillman all have roots in theater, with Ralph returning to musicals after originating the role of Deena in the 1981 Broadway production of ‘Dreamgirls’.
Matarazzo’s latest musical performance was Tobias Ragg in the 2023 Broadway revival of ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’.
Tillman, meanwhile, began his career in several Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.
‘Octet’ marks Miranda’s second feature film after his successful directorial debut in 2021 with Oscar-nominated movie musical ‘tick, tick… BOOM!’ starring Andrew Garfield.
Malloy will adapt the musical for the screen and will also executive produce.
Miranda’s potential new stage musical
Apart from ‘Octet’, Miranda is also working on a new musical with Eisa Davis titled ‘Warriors’.
Based on the book by Sol Yurick and the 1979 Paramount Pictures film of the same name, ‘Warriors’ initially started as a concept album in 2024, sparking hopes among the theater community that it would become a full-fledged musical production.
‘The Warriors’ is about a street gang framed for the murder of a respected gang leader and thus must flee the Bronx back to their home turf on Coney Island.
Miranda, later that year, said that he and Davis are “open” to a Broadway transfer in the future.
In December 2024, the two confirmed that they would soon begin the process of staging ‘Warriors’.
An Instagram post by Miranda in February this year teased revisions made from a recent workshop for the much-anticipated musical.
“On the other side of 2 weeks in a room writing & rewriting for unbelievable actors and musicians at music stands,” Miranda wrote.
“The journey home keeps getting deeper. Clap your hands if you’re ready to meet the Warriors,” he added.
READ NEXT: Elliot Page partners with theater company for all-trans, non-binary Shakespeare production
Carmela Calling 
Wendellyn Mateo 
Adam Peaker