Warriors is a cast recording turned musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis, inspired by the 1979 action film The Warriors, which adapted the 1965 novel of the same name by Sol Yurick, which was inspired by Xenophon's 4th-century B.C. Anabasis. It was released on October 18, 2024, produced by Mike Elizondo and executive-produced by Nas. Blending hip-hop, musical theater, and various styles that reflect New York City's diversity, Warriors reimagines the story with a gender-flipped perspective. It follows an all-female gang navigating a treacherous journey through the city after the murder of a gang leader, drawing inspiration from real-life events like the 1971 Hoe Avenue peace meeting and addressing themes of misogyny.
Though initially rumored to be part of a planned stage musical, Miranda and Davis clarified that Warriors was conceived as a standalone musical work. Miranda stated that treating the project as an album rather than a stage production allowed him to work with some of his "dream collaborators" who could not commit to a Broadway schedule. Warriors features a diverse group of artists, including hip-hop figures Lauryn Hill, Busta Rhymes, Ghostface Killah, and RZA, as well as Latin musician Marc Anthony and dancehall singer Shenseea. The album also includes performances from Broadway and film stars Amber Gray, Colman Domingo, Billy Porter, Sasha Hutchings, Phillipa Soo, Joshua Henry, and Jasmine Cephas Jones. The album peaked at number 21 on Billboards Top Current Albums chart, and at 29 on the UK Album Downloads chart.
Following its release, Miranda and Davis confirmed plans to develop a stage adaptation. In 2026, the stage adaptation was announced to premiere in 2027 on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Background The American composer, lyricist, and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda first saw the movie The Warriors (1979) at age four on a VHS videocassette and, according to him, the story has been "on two stone tablets in [his] head" since then. In 2009, shortly after Miranda's stage musical In the Heights opened on Broadway, his friend Phil Westgren suggested their future musical should be based on The Warriors. Miranda initially told Westgren the idea would never work, but after his first run of Hamilton performances, he realized he had been thinking about adapting The Warriors since then. In 2022, Miranda proposed a collaboration on the project to playwright and actress Eisa Davis, who had never seen the movie.
In August 2023, New York Post was the first media outlet to report Miranda was working on a stage musical adaptation of Sol Yurick's 1965 novel The Warriors. In July 2024, it was reported Miranda was completing the recording of a concept album for a new musical adaptation of the eponymous movie.
In August 2024, the album's release date was confirmed. The New York Times, however, said it was unclear whether the album would lead to a stage musical, while the Los Angeles Times described earlier reports about the stage production of Warriors as "speculation". The New York Times explained their position by comparing Warriors to Hamilton, which was "initially conceived as a concept album, and there is a history of concept albums evolving into stage productions, from Jesus Christ Superstar to Hadestown". Logan Culwell-Block, writing for Playbill, commented that treating the work primarily as an album might be helpful because some aspects of the Warriors story, such as the fight sequences and numerous location changes, are not things musicals on traditional proscenium stages are known for doing well. Following the album's release, Miranda and Davis downplayed immediate plans for a stage production, noting they did not have a theatrical producer or director attached, and choosing instead to focus on the album as the project's main goal. Davis also ruled out the possibility of adapting the album into a film, saying that the story has already been in that medium, and the album is a love letter to the film.
Concept and storyline Warriors gender-flips the characters of the movie that inspired it. Miranda has said this approach was key to an interesting adaptation, explaining that a story with female characters complicated the narrative in a way that made it more compelling. Davis has characterized the flip as a revolutionary and a feminist act, given overtones in the movie that she described as misogynist and homophobic.
The 2014–2015 misogynistic online harassment campaign Gamergate was part of Miranda's inspiration for the gender flip. He compared the campaign's doxing of women to Luther's false accusation in The Warriors, noting that Luther shoots Cyrus and then blames the Warriors, forcing them to deal with the consequences. Davis also found inspiration in the 1971 Hoe Avenue peace meeting, a historical inter-gang truce that took place in the Bronx. Women were marginalized and excluded from the meeting; she described the album as "a vindication" for them.
Eisa Davis describes Warriors as a "love letter to the origins of hip-hop". She again connected the story of Warriors to the Hoe Avenue peace meeting, which she said enabled the cultural conditions for the creation of hip-hop in the early 1970s, marking a shift from gangs fighting with each other to competitions between crews of MCs and dancers. When she first watched the 1979 movie with Miranda, she only knew of it because it had been referenced in hip-hop. Vulture said the movie's "unforgettable lines echo across hip-hop history". It gave examples like the line "I be like, 'Warriors, come out and play'", rapped by Ol' Dirty Bastard on Wu-Tang Clan's debut album, and the video for California Love by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre, starting with "Can you dig it?" as spoken by Cyrus.
Plot DJ Lynne Pen broadcasts to New York City's gangs, announcing a gathering at Van Cortlandt Park organized by Cyrus of the Gramercy Riffs ("Survive the Night"). The Warriors, an all-women gang from Coney Island, follow Cyrus's instructions to leave their weapons behind and head uptown ("Roll Call"). At the park, they perform their signature rhyme ("Warriors' Cypher"). Cyrus arrives ("Make Way for Cyrus") and calls for a gang truce to ensure peace ("If You Can Count"). While her message gains support, Luther of the Rogues kills Cyrus and blames Cleon, the Warriors' leader and the only witness. As the Riffs attack Cleon, she orders the Warriors to flee ("Derailed"). With Cleon missing, Swan takes charge, frustrating Ajax. They plan to regroup at Union Square Station before heading home ("Woodlawn Cemetery").
The DJ announces that the truce has been broken and a hit placed on the Warriors. They escape an attack by the Turnbull AC's in the Bronx and board a train ("Leave the Bronx Alive"), but a track fire forces them to continue on foot. Luther informs the Rogues of his plan to pin the murder on the Warriors ("A Track Fire and a Phone Call") and shares his plan to "watch the world burn" with Cropsy ("Going Down"). The Warriors encounter the Orphans and feign weakness so that they be allowed to pass through. Mercy, the girlfriend of the Orphans' leader Sully, disrupts this by demanding Swan's vest. When the Warriors refuse, the Orphans prepare to attack. Swan and Ajax throw a Molotov cocktail, scaring off the Orphans ("Orphan Town"). Impressed, Mercy leaves the Orphans to join the Warriors ("Call Me Mercy"). Meanwhile, Cleon convinces the new Riffs leader Masai to investigate the real killer ("Still Breathin'").
The House of Hurricanes, a ballroom group from Spanish Harlem, stop the Warriors and accuse them of killing Cyrus. Convinced of their innocence, they let them go but warn them running makes them look guilty and that they must fight to survive ("Quiet Girls"). The Warriors stop at Gray's Papaya, but Swan urges them to stay focused. The Baseball Furies, a West Side gang, attack ("Outside Gray's Papaya"). Tired of running, Ajax rallies the Warriors to fight back in Riverside Park ("Sick of Runnin'"). There, Ajax assaults a man she believes to be catcalling her. The man then reveals himself to be an undercover cop, and arrests Ajax while the Warriors flee ("The Park at Night"). Luther and Cropsy mock the Warriors' predicament ("Luther Interlude").
At Union Square, the Warriors meet the Bizzies, a cardigan-wearing gang offering shelter in their East Village apartment. Cochise, Cowgirl, and Fox accept, but Rembrandt is wary ("We Got You"). Meanwhile, Mercy asks to become a Warrior, and she and Swan fall in love ("A Light or Somethin'"). At the Bizzies' apartment, Rembrandt realizes they plan an ambush and convinces the Warriors to escape ("We Got You (Reprise)"). Cleon convinces the Riffs that Cyrus's killer is likely in Coney Island ("Somewhere in the City"). Swan and Mercy reunite with the Warriors at Union Square, but police interrupt their attempt to board a train. Fox distracts the police captain by causing a fight on the platform, allowing the others to escape, but she is thrown onto the tracks and killed by an oncoming train ("Reunion Square").
Shaken, the Warriors return to Coney Island in silence. As the DJ narrates the lives of fellow passengers, Mercy and Swan share a kiss ("Same Train Home"). Upon arrival, they mourn their lost members and induct Mercy into the group. They spot Luther approaching in a hearse ("Finale Part I: The Wonder Wheel"). Swan leads them to confront Luther on the beach, challenging him to a duel. Luther draws his gun but is disarmed by Swan. The Rogues abandon their leader, and the Riffs arrive. Cleon identifies Luther as Cyrus's killer, and Masai commends the Warriors for their bravery before the Riffs attack Luther ("Finale Part II: The Coney Island Shore"). Cleon rejoins the Warriors, and they express hope that Cyrus's dream of peace will one day be realized ("Finale Part III: When We All Come Home Alive").
Writing and composition Miranda told the theater magazine Playbill: "The album says 'by both of us', and it really is by both of us"; both Miranda and Davis are credited as its authors without delineation of their roles. According to Miranda: "pretty much every Warriors bassline" started as a voice memo from Davis to him. One such voice memo appears six seconds into the album's first track as its first sung material. Davis has said that their collaboration allowed the pair to develop an artistic relationship that felt like they were family, and that it was "almost like [they] shared a brain".
On Warriors, each of New York City's five boroughs is represented by a well-known rap artist. Miranda has said it was very intimidating to write verses for people he saw among "the greatest writers". Davis has said that, while the raps were written specifically for each performer's own rhythms, there was still a question of whether they would be able to perform someone else's lines, as they take pride in never having been ghostwritten. According to Miranda, the performers had to make a mindset shift in recognizing they were playing a role, not themselves, but that they could still "bring what we love about them as emcees to the table". Miranda has said that one of his proudest moments as a lyricist was getting Nas' approval for a verse based on a recording of Miranda himself performing the lines. While writing the verse, Miranda wondered whether he could find a Queens metaphor Nas had not already used, and ultimately settled on a chess reference, "Queen's Gambit".
During the writing process, Miranda swapped early demos with Andy Samberg, who was working on The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience. Miranda and Samberg had met on the set of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and realized they were both working on concept albums about what Miranda described as "weird super-niche 80s things", and Warriors turned out to be "weirdly" similar to Bash Brothers.