How The Kingkiller Chronicle inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda to write Moana music
When most people think of Lin-Manuel Miranda, their minds probably go straight to Hamilton. Or In The Heights, or even one of our favorites, His Dark Materials. The Oscar nominee is an undeniable talent who’s known for his music, acting, and writing. While he may not be everyone’s cup of tea, Miranda is a bonafide star in the world of mainstream pop culture — which might make it all the more surprising to hear about his connection to The Kingkiller Chronicle.
The fantasy book series written by Patrick Rothfuss is super popular for the genre, making it a no-brainer for a big studio to adapt it for the big screen. Miranda, a huge fan of the books, has actually been attached to a Kingkiller Chronicle TV adaptation and movie series since 2016. The films are still in the works, but after Showtime passed on the TV show, it’s been in limbo with Lionsgate trying to find it a home.
But while the Kingkiller Chronicle adaptations have yet to be made, Miranda has still used his love for the series and for Rothfuss in other ways. Apparently, he took inspiration from the books while writing music for Moana.
Patrick Rothfuss inspires Lin-Manuel Miranda
If you’re not familiar with the 2016 Disney film, it tells the story of the titular character Moana who wants to venture out and see the world. When the opportunity arises for her to save her people, she’s off on an adventure of a lifetime. The animated movie features the voices of Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Star Wars‘ Temuera Morrison, and other familiar faces.
Back in 2017, Miranda spoke with Vulture all about his plans for The Kingkiller Chronicle — while Showtime was still attached to the series — and revealed how the books inspired one part of Moana. He shared:
"“When Moana goes towards Te Fiti and she says, ‘I know your name!’ – in Pat’s books, when you know the true name of a thing, you have mastery over it. So there is that little bit of Pat Rothfuss’s Name of the Wind in one line of Moana, in the confrontation of Moana and this enormous nature spirit. Because the second she connects these dots she goes — ‘I know who you are,’ and in knowing who she is, she’s able to actually connect with the nature spirit and save the world.”"
If you didn’t know it by now, Lin-Manuel Miranda is definitely a superfan of
The Kingkiller Chronicle
. It’s unfortunate his projects have not made much progress since they were announced, especially with fans of the series still waiting on the third book,
. As we all know by now, Rothfuss doesn’t seem to be making much progress on that, either, as he continues to provide fans with disappointing updates.
When is The Doors of Stone coming out?
The third installment of The Kingkiller Chronicle does not have a release date, nor does it even have a predicted timeframe. Last we heard from Rothfuss, he let fans know he had “news on book 3.” Previously, the author has explained that he’s been reworking parts of the story, revealing earlier this year that he “dismantled a big piece” of it. As of the time of this article, we shouldn’t expect The Doors of Stone to be released anytime soon.
As we wait for more news about The Kingkiller Chronicle — both the books and the adaptations — perhaps you can check out Moana to see if you catch the connection. It’s streaming on Disney Plus.
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