Why the Hamilton Film Isn't Eligible For an Oscar
Lin-Manuel Miranda will have to wait a little longer to bring home the EGOT—EGOT being the nickname given to those extremely talented people in the entertainment industry who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony, a list which includes Rita Moreno, Audrey Hepburn, Mel Brooks, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and John Legend, among several others.
Miranda has already secured the "T," "G," and "E," with three Tony Awards, three Grammys, and an Emmy on his shelf (in addition to a Pulitzer Prize, two Olivier Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a MacArthur Genius Grant).
While he was nominated for an Oscar for his 2016 song "How Far I'll Go" from Moana, he hasn't clinched that particular statue yet. And he won't bring it home for the new Hamilton film, either: the movie, which premiered on Disney+ last week, isn't eligible for an Academy Award.
The Oscars are making certain amendments to eligibility rules for 2021, given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and how it has impacted the movie industry, but according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: “Recorded stage productions are not eligible for consideration.”
While “Give ‘em Hell, Harry,” a recording of the one-man stage play of the same name, earned an Oscar nomination for best actor for James Whitmore in 1976, the rules changed in 1997 when language was added to the documentary category that disqualified recorded stage performances.
And despite the global health situation, it's unlikely the Academy would bend this particular rule to allow Hamilton to compete.
But Hamilton could contend for an Emmy, in a number of categories including outstanding variety special (pre-recorded).
Regardless of awards buzz, Hamilton already appears to be a commercial success. Disney+ has yet to release viewing numbers publicly, but the streaming platform's app was reportedly downloaded 752,451 times globally from Friday to Sunday.
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