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+.

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Update July 7, 2020, 4:00 p.m. PST: People are going after “Hamilton” because of its depiction of Alexander Hamilton, who was a slave owner. In a time when Confederate monuments are falling, some people want to cancel the show because it does elevate the people of the time. Lin-Manuel Miranda does not disagree with them

Lin-Manuel Miranda validated the criticism lodged against “Hamilton.”

Appreciate you so much, @brokeymcpoverty. All the criticisms are valid. The sheer tonnage of complexities & failings of these people I couldn’t get. Or wrestled with but cut. I took 6 years and fit as much as I could in a 2.5 hour musical. Did my best. It’s all fair game. https://t.co/mjhU8sXS1U

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) July 6, 2020

There was a lot of criticism recently lodged at the musical. The renewed attention is partly because Disney+is streaming the very successful play during the 4th of July weekend. While Miranda has said the criticisms are valid, he did express the difficulty of creating a play and capturing every moment of the Founding Fathers in one play. There is no arguing that the Founding Fathers were not indeed problematic and owned slaves.

During this time, it is important to have tough conversations about the legacy of this country and what we can do to acknowledge and rectify the issues.

Two things can be true at once: Hamilton is an incredible piece of work that deserves to be celebrated, and our founding fathers were a hot mess that couldn’t be fully captured in a 2 1/2 hour musical. One doesn’t cancel the other.

— Queen T’Carla (@Lalabee79) July 6, 2020

“Hamilton” is an exquisite work of art. The casting sets it apart from other plays that do not try to be as inclusive. Yet, it is very important to remember our history. Some of the people we are taught to celebrate and hold in high esteem are not worthy of that praise. Some are responsible for killing off large amount of native people. Others were involved with the brutal slave trade that created one of the largest diasporas in human history. You can honor the work of a Latino creator and acknowledge the flaws even he admits to.

Original: Families across the nation celebrated their 4th of July weekend watching “Hamilton.” The musical is one of the most celebrated musicals in recent history. Yet, some people have a problem with the musical and its debut on Disney+ has angered some Twitter users.

“Hamilton” is currently streaming on Disney+ and fans are so excited.

#Hamilton has had my heart for 5 years and the film with the original cast not only raised my expectations but now I’m so ready to get my ass to the west end to see it as soon as I can pic.twitter.com/o0aQi3zmot

— bethany🧚🏻‍♀️ (@b_westrope) July 6, 2020

The very popular musical is a Broadway sensation. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s play is one of the most celebrated shows in recent history with sold-out shows across the country. The play tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

The play has been celebrated because the actors cast in the production are all actors of color. It took a white story and was filled with people of color showing a side of Hamilton people don’t often address. Miranda admitted that he didn’t know much about Hamilton until reading a biography about the man while on vacation. He felt the story of Hamilton is inherently an immigrant story and deserved to be told with a twist.

#CancelHamilton started trending over the weekend and a quick search shows that most of the tweets are from conservatives.

the show makes the characters look bad anyways, they literally talk abt about how elitist and shit hamilton is. but also, it’s a musical, even a bit satire and is not a historical doc. it’s not that deep, if anyone had any common sense on american history they’d know this already

— 🦋 (@lsagt_) July 4, 2020

There is a movement happening right now in the U.S. with people tearing down statues honoring Confederate soldiers and leaders. The Confederacy is the side of the Civil War fighting to preserve slavery and lost the war. The hashtag is filled with people complaining that other Confederate monuments are being torn down, so why not cancel “Hamilton.”

One argument being made against canceling “Hamilton” is that it is fiction. Those for the cancellation of “Hamilton” claim that is should be torn down like Confederate statues. Yet, those against the cancellation claim that the show is a fictitious account and not the same as monuments and statues built to celebrate a legacy steeped in slave ownership.

Some of the people defending the show are pointing to the cast of filled with people of color.

If you want to #cancelhamilton, just remember that LMM obviously wrote it to show that POC have a place in history. They have a place in politics. And it’s a musical, of course he’s going to take artistic license.

— Maz (@mariellaoakes) July 6, 2020

The show made history with its diverse cast offering a glimpse into history through the voices of people of color. This kind of representation gave young people of color a chance to see themselves represented in history. It might only be a play but it is a play that has captivated an audience of Black and brown people who can see people who look like them representing U.S. history.

It has reignited the debate about cancel culture being weaponized and weakened by bad actors.

I wish people would do research before jumping on the cancel culture bandwagon🙄 people using the hashtag #CancelHamilton – it’s a broadway musical. It’s a musical that isn’t even celebrating Hamilton as a person because it literally portrays him as a dick – as he was one!

— Beth🖤 (@BethReanne_) July 6, 2020

The cancel culture has come after several celebrities and businesses calling out bad practices. It seems though that every week there is a new attempt to cancel someone or something. Cancel culture has come under fire for cutting people before giving them a chance to learn from their mistakes.

Some people want to cancel cancel culture instead of “Hamilton” and that thought is spreading.

As a strong supporter of #BlackLivesMatter, I think #cancelhamilton is just wrong. We don't just bury art that has something we disagree with or raises uncomfortable questions. We discuss and debate, not eradicate. The only thing that should be cancelled is #CancelCulture

— Daylin Leach (@daylinleach) July 6, 2020

Cancel culture has claimed a lot of people. It started to grow in prominence as social media became more and more popular and far-reaching. What do you think about Cancel Culture?

READ: ‘Hamilton’: Disney Plus Drops Trailer For Musical Film — Watch Now!

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