‘How I Met Your Mother’ season 9 spoilers: ‘In the Heights’ star books role as…

Who expected “How I Met Your Mother” to have such a significant theatrical presence to it this year? We’ve had frequent Tonys host Neil Patrick Harris in the cast since the beginning, and this year Cristin Milioti of “Once” joined as a series regular, playing the part of the much-hyped Mother.

So who is the latest star to enter the fold? It’s Lin-Manuel Miranda! The writer / star of “In the Heights” was confirmed by executive producer Carter Bays on Twitter to guest star on the CBS sensation. The only mystery for the time being is who will he be playing on the show? Sometimes, we’re not so lucky to get casting details to go along with the casting. This time around, we just have to be thrilled to have the information that we do.

What also makes this casting news in particular interesting is that almost every guest star is going to have opportunities to shine this year, since the almost real-time format of the show enables us to see almost everything that happens leading up to the moment that the “I Do’s” are said. Sherri Shepherd and Wayne Brady are two that are going to be reaping the benefits of this, and John Lithgow could also conceivably do so a little later in the season when he returns as Barney’s father.

For now, though, the focus is squarely on “Last Time in New York,” the somewhat-misleading episode on Monday given that it’s really not Ted’s last time there; he’s just making a false assumption based on the fact that he is planning to go to Chicago after the wedding, where he thinks he will have more of an opportunity to meet his perfect wife. Watch a promo for the half-hour here, and we’ll be back this weekend with more to share.

Photo: CBS