The thing that struck me about Tick… Tick… BOOM! was the imagination and creativity of Miranda’s direction, even though filming was complicated by Covid. The ‘Sunday’ sequence was incredibly elaborate to film at all, and then it worked perfectly. Miranda proved that he’s a terrific director who can bring out the best in someone else’s work.
So even though I assume the budget for Octet will be lean, I don’t think Miranda will confine the action to a room. Many of the songs can be opened up. And then there’s another factor: It’s been a few years since the stage musical opened. I would be surprised if Dave Malloy hasn’t written another song or two for the film, if for no other reason than to address recent online developments.
While I still wonder how Octet will work as a film, it’s a bit of a freebie. The budget will be low. It’s clearly a passion project. Malloy and Miranda are really talented and the subject matter remains extremely relevant. The cast is stacked to an almost comical level.
Maybe it still won’t work. But I love that Miranda is trying this and working with Malloy and getting this absurd cast together.
Updated On: 4/20/26 at 04:50 AM