‘Hamilton’ Won’t Be Eligible For An Academy Award Next Year

For years Hamilton has been lauded as a Broadway breakout hit. Having racked up a record-setting 16 nominations at the 2016 Tony Awards, Hamilton and ultimately taking home 11 awards, including Best Musical. The musical also won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. So when it was announced a filmed version of the stage production would be launched on Disney+ many wondered if the play would be a winner that would take all at the 2021 Academy Awards.

Unfortunately, it looks as if that beam of fan hope won’t be happening.

Despite the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ decision to temporarily change its rules to allow movies that originally planned theatrical runs to be eligible for Best Picture nomination, Hamilton will not be a contender.

The change, which came as a result of coronavirus concerns, altered rules which required movies distributed by streaming platforms to play in movie theaters for a minimum of seven days to meet nomination requirements.

Unfortunately, the updated rule excludes Hamilton. Language added to the Academy Awards guidelines in 1997 bars recorded stage performances from taking home nominations.

The addition to the 1997 rule was spurred by a performance by Sir Laurence Olivier who received a Best Actor nomination in 1966 for his blackface portrayal of Othello in a “hybrid stage/film production.” from According to People, James Whitmore also received a nomination 10 years later in the same category for his role as Harry S. Truman in a recorded version of Give ’em Hell, Harry!

Vulture confirmed recently that “as a recorded stage production, Hamilton is not eligible for awards consideration.”

Fortunately, Hamilton will be eligible for an Emmy nomination if it adds its name to the outstanding variety special (pre-recorded) category.

Hamilton is streaming now on Disney+.