Keira Knightley is 'My Fair Lady'?
Filed under: Classics, Music & Musicals, Romance, Casting, Deals, Sony, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
I'm not sure which part of this story is the most surprising -- the fact that they are really remaking My Fair Lady, or that Keira Knightley wants the lead. Decide amongst yourselves.
According to Variety, Columbia Pictures is prepping the remake, which will be produced by Duncan Kenworthy and Cameron Mackintosh, as we speak. While they are calling it an update of the musical, it's not a drastic one. The movie will keep the 1912 setting and the score, but introduce more story elements from George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion.
They plan to develop Eliza's character a bit more, giving her additional emotional depth, and dramatizing her highs and lows. I actually really like that idea, as I always found her rather cartoonish, and her return to Professor Higgins a bit perplexing. They also plan to shoot in the real London locations, from Drury Lane to the Ascot racecourse, as opposed to the soundstages of 1964. They may top the locations, but they'll never beat Cecil Beaton's iconic and stunning costumes.
As musicals are freshened up and brought back to the stage all the time, I don't find anything particularly distressing about this news. I'm one of those who pines for the return of the big-budget musical, which never seems to really happen. That's actually what surprises me most about Columbia's interest in the project -- Mamma Mia! aside, musicals are still approached quite warily in Hollywood. The studio refused to comment on casting, so Knightley's name may disappear; as she seems to be the current go-to girl for corset pieces, it isn't remarkable that her name is up for consideration -- and at least they're not talking Scarlett Johansson.
On the other hand, Knightley was quite adamant that she would not sing again after The Edge of Love, telling Total Film that she found the experience too terrifying. Either she's relented, or they're planning to pay homage to Audrey Hepburn by dubbing her voice. I think she has the vocal chops to pull it off though -- check out a clip of her singing below -- and with her waif-like looks she's ideal for a flower-selling urchin.
I hope she does land the part. I know there are a number of musical fans out there, so I am dying to know what you think about this news -- both the potetial of Knightley as Eliza, and the idea of remaking My Fair Lady to begin with. Personally, they will crush me if they fail to cast Hugh Jackman as Henry Higgins.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-06-2008 @ 9:57AM
Christopher Campbell said...
Here's where I suggest they cast John Mayer as Henry Higgins. He did such a fabulous job when we were 12. Oh, and I'm available to reprise my role as his butler. Talk to my agent.
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6-06-2008 @ 11:36AM
Tigerlily said...
I had no idea she could sing, and really well too! I'm all for reviving the musical and bringing it back to the theater. Keira seems like a great choice for Eliza Doolittle.
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6-06-2008 @ 11:59AM
Rebekah said...
I love musicals and am thrilled to see Mamma Mia this summer, but I've always had problems with My Fair Lady--I hate that she gets him his slippers. But I'm willing to keep an open mind and see how they restructure the story.
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6-06-2008 @ 12:16PM
Gina said...
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now I know how all those sci-fi geeks feel when they complain that George Lucas is raping their childhood.
:-(
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6-06-2008 @ 12:27PM
brittany said...
really? i like kiera but absolutely no one can top julie andrews. audrey tried and did alright...but can't there be someone else who is at least CLOSE to on par with julie? i'm at a loss for ideas though...
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6-06-2008 @ 12:21PM
Robert said...
I think it's a great idea to remake this musical--I've never really loved the 1964 film. Keira is a wonderful choice for Eliza, and I'd love to see Ewan McGregor as Henry Higgins. It would be especially lovely if they cast Julie Andrews as Mrs. Higgins, Henry's mother, as an homage to the original production.
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6-06-2008 @ 3:24PM
Liz K said...
My Fair Lady (1964) is about a woman is not good enough for a man until he whips her into his ideals and he's grown "accustomed to her face". It sure is romantic.
Pygmalion's original ending is different from My Fair Lady--she leaves him for a poor, young man, and it conveys a different message, politically incorrect in its own way. It's about the imobility between the upper and lower class and how the two classes are fundamentally different.
Would they be able to update this material into a palatable story, fit for the modern age? I sure don't see how.
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6-06-2008 @ 4:20PM
Gina said...
No offense -- but oh, piffle. Anyone who thinks Higgins was the dominant one in the situation has just fallen for his bluster. Eliza doesn't come back to him until she's secure in her own strength and can face him on equal terms -- and he knows it. He learns his lesson. She was ALWAYS more than good enough for him, and she told him so, to his face. She's one of my favorite heroines of all time.
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6-06-2008 @ 5:49PM
Liz K said...
Gina:
I disagree with your statement that Higgins "learned his lesson." Has a robber who goes to jail for ten years and regrets his actions for his own personal consequences truely "learned his lesson", even if he doesn't understand the morality behind why he shouldn't rob other people?
Higgins doesn't realize anything at the end, other than the fact that for some mysterious reason, he misses having Eliza around. He is still the mysogynistic arrogant bastard he always was. Does he really like her, or does he miss emotionally abusing his test subject, or even just miss having a companion around in his empty house? Let's say he does love her--he doesn't realize it, and he's above the disgrace of seeking her out himself. Don't you think that him telling her to go fetch his slippers is a telling sign about the future of their relationship? I hardly think that in both of their minds, that they're on "equal terms". Sure, Eliza comes back to him on her own accord, but I have the same feelings for her as I do for a domestically abused woman who goes back to her husband.
Characters who don't understand themselves and their significant others may interest me from a character-study standpoint, but not when it's disguised as an innocent romcom musical.
This is one the more notable musicals of the 60's, so I understand that some people may enjoy it as a musical--I don't mean to offend.
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