Movie Musicals: The Future

So Rent came and went, but The Producers is shaping up to be a big hit--counter-programming for Kong. With Lane and Broderick hot again with their "Odd Couple" revival and the full weight of Bob and Harvey behind this, I've read a lot of articles handicapping this as the Best Picture to beat for 2005.

(My prediction: Much like the Swank/Bening rematch of last year, it comes down to Spielberg's Munich and Weinstein's Producers, but the sympathy vote for Brooks puts him over the top.)

So, what's next? Obviously, there have been a number of projects rumored about for years.

A combination fantasy casting/speculation thread inspired by Anne Hathaway's comments in Devin's interview, this is my short list of what I'd like to and what I think we will see in the coming years.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: When I saw composer Stephen Sondheim speak last year, he said that Sam Mendes was ready to direct this and the script for John Logan was great--it translates the form of the stage musical into the film one. Coming from a film buff like Sondheim, that's encouraging news--and the stripped-down revival of "Sweeney" currently on Broadway's is garnering raves. Sondheim fans are almost as passionate as the Browncoats--just ask the people who waited in line for hours to see him last April--and the Grand Guginol story will draw in the horror/goth crowd. While I'd love to see Michael Cervasis (the current Todd) take on the title role for the screen, I can't see Hollywood backing a lesser-known star after Rent. After Superman Returns wises him up to the fact we love him when he's only playing bad guys, reuniting Kevin Spacey with Mendes could be astounding. So could Christian "Newsies" Bale. And please find a part for Angela Lansbury in there. She can still bring it.

Assassins: In Bill O'Reilly's nation? Not a chance in Hell. But if HBO wants its next "Angels in America," they should look at this 1991 dark comedy from Sondheim. It has all the hallmarks that made "Angels" an awards darling: pointed political commentary, non-traditional structure, and an array of great parts. Bring back the original John Wilkes Booth, Victor "Alias" Garber, and Mario Cantone (as a hilarious Sam Byck) and Neil Patrick Harris (as the Balladeer and Lee Harvey Oswald) from the Broadway production. Just keep Oliver Stone as far away from this as you can.

Guys and Dolls-We've been hearing about this for a while, with the more frightening rumors involving Vin Diesel. Ewan McGregor, who tore it up as Sky Masterson in London (and is currently making the move to Broadway), has the BO clout ("The Island" aside) and sex appeal to make this a believable reality. Pairing him with the aformentioned Bale, Taye Diggs (oooo risky) or Hugh "The Boy from Oz" Jackman as Nathan Detroit would bring in the guys and the dolls. I'm not sure who could direct this and make it fresh to a new audience, though.

Wicked-Stephen "I wrote Pocahontas, for which I should truly still be in Musical Jail" Schwartz's alternate telling of "The Wizard of Oz" was the Broadway spectacular to beat for a while, despite a centerpiece song that sounds like it should be the theme to "Karate Kid Part VI." Still, this is one of those musicals that could actually benefit from a film adaptation--with CGI and some killer set designers, it could be epic. Keep pixie Kristen Chenowith as Glenda, but give some serious consideration to recasting "Rent's" Idina Menzel. It's clear from her CHUD interview that she's just not comfortable at all doing film musicals. This could be the in that Hathaway's looking for. From the looks of it, Andrew Adamson did a great job of capturing Narnia on film--so why not next Oz?

Songs For a New World-Jason Robert Brown's one of the best new musical theatre guys working today. This early revue uses a number of different genres and perspectives--from Betsy Ross to the next LeBron James--to tell the story of America and its endless optimism. Like Showtime's "Masters of Horror," these ninteen songs would make a great anthology for the best and the brightest--from those who've done musicals to those who've always wanted to try. And the format allows you to screen them as intersticials, either at the front of your movie or between your shows.

Parade-Speaking of Jason Robert Brown, his Tony-Award winning musical is the one I want to see as a film more than any other. This "modern opera" uses the story of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory manager lynched for a young girl's murder in the early 20th century, to comment on America, race, class, and the media--all issues that are still vitally important today. Adrian Brody and Taye Diggs would be great for Frank and Jim Conley (the man history shows as the actual killer) and Russell Crowe, could use his "Romper Stomper" days to portray the powerful hatemonger Tom Watson. As for director? Well, the first choice is obviously Spielberg--who can take big issues, making them personal and real. After Munich, it seems as if he's ready to be ambigous and dark again. He can handle large casts, period pieces, and multiple storylines with ease, and hey, hasn't he always wanted to do a musical? But if he doesn't, try Crowe's buddy Ron Howard--who made his name directing large casts. (Fucking "Far and Away" aside.)

Les Miserables-If Crowe doesn't want to play Tom Watson, he could try his hand at another morally complex character--Javert. Crowe's deep voice and growl sound very similar to the best Javert yet, Phillip Quast, and he's got the gravitas to pull it off. This is a project that's been bandied about on these boards for years, and some of the more entertaining suggestions include Tom Waits and Miranda Richardson as the Thenardiers. The only trick is finding a Valjean to match Crowe's Javert (considering McGregor, Bale, and Jackman at various points) and a director to handle the material. I've been envisoning "One Day More" as a single tracking shot ending on the teeming masses of revolutionary France since Richard Dickson mentioned it a long time ago, and so I ask: Peter Jackson, what are you doing after The Lovely Bones?

I had Crowe's album for a time (I got it used for a buck). The guy needs to stop writing his own lyrics, but his voice was quite surprising. Like I said, he can do gravelly and he can do bombastic. I think if he had some additional vocal training, he'd do great.

I don't think he's right for Sweeney--his brand of threatening in films like Romper and L.A. Confidential is brutish and charismatic. It's not that wildly insane, holy-shit-what-is-this-guy-gonna-do-next, over the top nature that I think you need for Sweeney. That's why I chose Spacey, who's shown he can do that several times over.

Collette, I haven't heard her sing, but based on her previous performances, she'd be pretty good for Mrs. Lovett.

And for something like Sweeney, Mendes is a great choice.

Pretty sure that was just Swayze shooting his mouth off, as Swayze is apt to do. I remember reading an interview around the time of "Black Dog" where he was raving about some horse movie he was going to direct ("My Braveheart") he called it. And that was years ago.

Again, I think if you go the cable network route, something like Last Five Years could work there, although it's certainly the most challenging of the major Brown works*. I, personally, find it more wrenching and depressing than "Parade." It's a real "God, please, kill me now" show.

But seems to me that TV audiences today are more willing to accept a story that plays with time than film audiences seem to be. (which is why I think Sondheim's "Company" would work well on cable, too.)

*And when the heck is this guy gonna write another show, anyway? The one he's apparently working on, about Michael Milken, has a ton of potential.

It is indeed a Mathnet avatar.

I almost forgot about Dreamgirls, the fictionalized story of the Supremes coming out from Dreamworks next Christmas, starring Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Hudson from "American Idol," Danny Glover, and Eddie Murphy, all directed by "Chicago" screenwriter (and writer/director of "Kinsey") Bill Condon.

I'm unfamiliar with the musical aside from "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" (No way! No no no nooooooooooo way!), but the pedigree on this is pretty impressive. Condon's a very talented director and Beyonce can sing. I know Foxx took music lessons and has done some stuff with Kanye West, so I'm not too worried there.

However, Mr. Party All The Time himself does worry me--even though it's great to see him do something than "Dr. Doolittle Day Care 3D," especially with Condon, an actor's director.

Witherspoon/Hathaway as Glinda/Efelba would bring in the bucks.

Thanks for your comments. The idea of Bale and McGregor as Marius/Grantaire was an early one I had, but don't you think they're a little old for those parts at this point?

All the buzz and hype surrounding 'Dreamgirls' made me think of this old thread.

Of the ones I listed above, only 'Sweeney Todd' has come to pass. While Alan Rickman recently revealed he's playing the Judge opposite Johnny Depp's Sweeney Todd and Anthony Stewart Head (aka the best part about the 'Buffy' musical) announced on his website he'll be playing a yet as unrevealed role, the core trio of Depp, Carter, and Burton still has me on piins and needles. I love the idea of Sacha Baron Cohen as Todd's competitor, Pirelli, but there have been reports that Burton's allowed Cohen to turn Pirelli's songs into a spoken-word style a la Jim Broadbent in MOULIN ROUGE after he struggled with the songs. (Broadbent is in this too, from what I hear.)

It seems like they're turning this into the Oscar contender that it should be--in addition to Burton and John Logan's script that Sondheim loved, Dante "Heat" Spinotti is rumored to be doing the cinematography and Colleen Atwood's in charge of the costumes. However, it could all go to hell in a second if Burton decides to fit Todd and Lovett into the Willy Wonka/Jack Skellington mode. I think this is a funny, often hilarious show, but it's also a dark and tragic one. The audience needs to be both entertained and repulsed by Todd, and I just fear Burton could turn him into one of his quirky anti-heroes shunned by society through no fault of his own.

When it comes to that, though, Burton has a real opportunty to explore the other side of that coin, and I hope he does a fantastic job.

Next year we've also got "Hairspray," which returns Christopher Walken and John Travolta to the musical, but comes from the director of 'The Pacifier.' I loved the cast recording of that show, so I'm looking forward to that one, too.

As for unannounced dream projects, I heard rumors about Bill Condon taking on Sondheim's Follies, another "unadaptable" musical, and while I'm all for more Sondheim on the silver screen (although he really needs to give us one last great show before he dies), I'm not a huge fan of Follies and think it defines "cult musical." I'd much rather see someone take on the just-as-challenging Company for the screen, possibly with Hugh Jackman as Bobby. (I know it's cool to list him for every project, but I've been watching a lot of his old musical performances through YouTube recently, and that seems like a pretty great fit to me.)

Which, of course, begs the question, which young thespian of today is fit to portray young Joe Pesci?

I think Jersey Boys will follow the Wicked/Producers mold, which means a movie in a few years when they can't charge 70 bucks a pop for the cheap seats anymore.

Seriously, an Assassins movie. Get on that/make it happen, HBO and Neil Patrick Harris.