'Hamilton' Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda Helped Compose 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

Culture

It turns out Lin-Manuel Miranda, award-winning composer and star of the Broadway sensation Hamilton, knows his Star Wars like he knows his own mind. Through a collaboration with Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams, he put that knowledge to good use.

On Monday's episode of The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon asked Abrams about collaboration in his work. Abrams said he'd actually just collaborated with Miranda after seeing Hamilton with his son. Miranda had jokingly offered to compose music for The Force Awakens' version of the "cantina" scene from A New Hope. Abrams, who had recently been told by composer John Williams that he wasn't interested in writing the cantina music, took Miranda up on his offer.

Fallon's show was the first time this bit of information was told to the public at large. "He might kill me for revealing it," Abrams joked.

Rather than pulling an Aaron Burr on Abrams, Miranda confirmed on Twitter that he indeed had worked on the music on the days when Hamilton had both a matinee and an evening performance. "J.J. is the best," he tweeted. "Can't wait to see."

In A New Hope, the cantina scene — set in Chalmun's cantina in the Tatooine city of Mos Eisley — is the setting of fights and new alliances in the original Star Wars. The cantina is where the shootout between Han Solo and Greedo the Young happens, the very same that's led to a decadeslong battle over Star Wars mastermind George Lucas' decision to edit the scene to depict Greedo shooting first instead of Han.

Needless to say, the cantina is a vital setting, and passing the responsibility to Miranda is a big decision. Luckily, as evidenced in Hamilton, Miranda knows how to write a drinking song.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters Dec. 18.