FrankSinatra Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Frank Sinatra is still what many (if not all) red-blooded man aspire to be. Playing him in a Martin Scorsese biopic is not only a dream job for any actor, it's wish fulfillment on the highest level. Is it any surprise that the some of the biggest names in Hollywood are said to by vying for the role of Old Blue Eyes? The Guardian reports that Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, and George Clooney are in fierce competition to land the part, with Universal executives allegedly pushing hardest for the marketable Depp.

It's a tough thing to cast someone like Sinatra. While I certainly like all three men as actors in their own right, I think their own fame makes it impossible for them to disappear under the skin of an icon. This isn't exactly Howard Hughes or John Dillinger, figures that an actor can shape from facts and bits of footage, but still make their own. This is a man we're all familiar with from countless movies, concerts, albums, and television appearances. How do you portray that honestly with Depp, DiCaprio, or Clooney? If forced to choose from the three, I'd pick DiCaprio purely because of the physical resemblance, and politely suggest Clooney play Dean Martin.

Personally, I hope Scorsese finds a semi-unknown for the part (someone on the level of Tom Hardy -- who might actually be really good now that he's sprung to my mind) and steers clear of the A-List. The actor lucky and brave enough won't have to sing, as Universal and Mandalay spent 2 years clearing the rights to Sinatra's catalog, but he still has to be someone you believe to possess that voice. Would you cast one of the Big Three above? Or do you have someone else in mind?

Ever since Martin Scorsese revealed, back in May, that he was going to direct a Frank Sinatra biopic, there has been rampant speculation about two things: who will play the crooner, and what sort of man will Scorsese make him out to be? The former question has yet to be answered, and probably won't be until for several months. The latter question remains open, but Sinatra's daughter, Tina, has a few things to say about it.

According to the New York Post's gossip page, Tina Sinatra is "worried that Scorsese's vision might ultimately taint her father's legacy" -- in other words, Frank's Mafia connections, philandering, heavy drinking, and violent tendencies didn't taint his legacy, but telling people about it might. The Post cites an anonymous inside source, not Sinatra herself, so take it with a grain of salt. Scorsese's people told the Post that the director is swamped with Shutter Island (in theaters Oct. 2) and his upcoming HBO project Boardwalk Empire and hasn't even begun to think about the Sinatra film yet. We do know that Phil Alden Robinson, who wrote (and directed) Field of Dreams, is onboard as screenwriter, but at this point it's not even clear whether the film intends to cover Sinatra's entire life or just a certain segment of it.

After yesterday's news that Martin Scorsese will direct a Frank Sinatra biopic, people are asking: Who will he cast in the lead? In fact, some people are even going the extra mile and asking: Whom will he cast in the lead? That's how important this is!

The obvious answer is Leonardo DiCaprio -- not because he's particularly well-suited to the role, but because he's Scorsese's muse and good-luck charm, having appeared in the director's last four films (including Shutter Island, due out this fall). But Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood Daily, citing her usual no-named sources, says the studio wants a different superstar: Johnny Depp.

My gut reaction to this is that it's typical studio knee-jerk casting: "Let's get the most famous, most popular actor in Hollywood! He's perfect for the part because he's the most famous and the most popular!" But I concede Depp looks enough like a young Sinatra that it wouldn't be completely ridiculous, and obviously he's a good actor. So maybe it could work. (That picture is him in Public Enemies. The hat and old-school suit definitely helps his Sinatraness.)

Depp can sing, as we learned in Sweeney Todd, though Finke says that doesn't matter, as Sinatra's own recordings will be used in the film. But that doesn't mean there won't be, say, scenes set in rehearsals, or other non-performance settings, where the actor (or a voice double) would need to sing a bit. Then again, singing is one thing -- singing like Frank Sinatra is something else. Can Depp do it? Can anyone do it?

For more, Moviefone has picked 10 actors as potential candidates for the role. Vote for your favorite right over here.

Over at Deadline Hollywood, Nikki Finke is reporting that Martin Scorsese will direct and produce a film about the life of famed singer Frank Sinatra for Universal, after the studio acquired the project from Mandalay Pictures and secured the hard-to-get blessing from the Sinatra family. Tina Sinatra will executive produce, along with Phil Alden Robinson (who's also writing the script) and Gary LeMel.

Right now there's no word on casting, though logically we all must turn to Scorsese's latest muse, Mr. Leonardo DiCaprio. One imagines his name will creep its way to the top of the list, though, in my opinion, DiCaprio looks a little too boy-ish to play Sinatra. Maybe he'd pass for really young Sinatra (especially the hair and the eyes), but even so I think it would take a little work to turn DiCaprio into a convincable Frank. It also depends on whether the actor playing Sinatra will perform Sinatra's songs, or if they'll simply lip-sync? That little factor could introduce a whole new crop of actors, some of which may be complete unknowns. Would Scorsese cast an unknown in the lead? Doubt it, but it'll be fun to watch this one come together assuming Finke's reportage is true.

Who do you think should play Frank Sinatra? Is DiCaprio our only solid option?

UPDATE: Variety has confirmed this to be true.

Uh-oh.

Submitted for your approval: a berk named Merk in bed with his bird. The fuzzy photo cannot really sum up what's going on here. The still I would have preferred is this film's money-shot: a red-cloaked Milton Berle conducting a Satanic mass in convincing Latin. Somehow this is not available on the Internet. Here, instead: a relatively chaste shot of quintuple threat Anthony Newley (actor/director/co-writer/singer/composer) grappling his real-life wife (the beeyoutiful and talented Joan Collins).

The still is a relic of what I've sometimes thought was the worst film ever made by a human being in world history.

To mark the tenth anniversary of Frank Sinatra's death on May 14, Warner Home Video has unleashed such a massive volume of Sinatra DVDs that viewers will need to break out the hernia belts. There are 22 discs in all, with 11 titles new to DVD, and five box sets. One box set, The Rat Pack Ultimate Collector's Edition comes with a special deck of "Rat Pack" cards, reproductions of lobby cards, a pressbook and on-set photos, as well John Sturges' Sergeants 3 (1962), available for the first time. The high point of these discs is the DVD debut of Vincente Minnelli's Some Came Running (1958), a devastating widescreen melodrama about an army veteran and would-be writer (Sinatra) who returns to his small town.

A goofy dame (Shirley MacLaine) has followed him home, and a boozy gambler (Dean Martin) befriends him, perhaps ruining his chances with the local schoolteacher (Martha Hyer), probably the only one who understands his literary aspirations. Some Came Running is part of the Frank Sinatra: The Golden Years box set, which also includes Otto Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm (a public domain title here available in its official release), None But the Brave (directed by Sinatra himself), The Tender Trap and Marriage on the Rocks (co-starring daughter Nancy). Then we have The Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly Collection, with three discs, Frank Sinatra: The Early Years with five discs, and the four-hour 1992 "Sinatra" TV mini-series. To help with the celebration, Frank's youngest daughter Tina agreed to an e-mail interview with Cinematical. (See related story.)

It looks like Frank Sinatra's youngest daughter and film producer, Tina Sinatra, has let the cat out of the bag. While talking with Sun Media recently, she discussed a new biopic on the way, from Universal, that would focus on dear old Rat Pack Dad. She started by cryptically saying that the man who would take on the film was "the most prominent Italian-American filmmaker" in Hollywood. First, they guessed Coppola, and then Martin Scorsese. Later, she confirmed that it was, indeed, Marty.

But according to Sinatra, this won't be a big gangster picture. The movie will show him innocent of true involvement with the Mafia: "I don't want him to be driving the getaway car. That would not be fair. But I trust him (Scorsese) implicitly." It seems that Scorsese is in "a reflective period and is willing to present the truth about her father." From the way Sinatra is talking about Marty's involvement, it sounds like he is in final negotiations, but hasn't yet signed.

Should this all get squared away and signed, it will be at least the sixth celebrity name added to Scorsese's roster in the last 4-5 years. There was Bob Dylan in 2005, then the Rolling Stones with Shine a Light, plus the upcoming George Harrison and Bob Marley docs, and The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt.

But what say you? Are you ready for Scorsese to take on Sinatra?

Way back in my college days, before I was 100% sure that I loved each and every musical ever made, I saw On the Town in a class (Yeah, I went to a pretty awesome college.) and was sold on the genre forever. I mean, hello -- it's Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra in sailor suits. Again! And Frank is in love with a bossy lady cabbie? And there's actually a character called Miss Turnstiles? Plus, New York, New York is a fantastic song. What's not to love? Sadly, today, for the first time, I found something to hate.

Sky News is reporting that Christian Slater's success in a musical (thanks to the commentors for correcting this -- reassuringly, my source was wrong on the "musical" detail), stage version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Yeah, the world was crying out for that one.) has led to talks about him starring in an On the Town remake. Could someone please shoot me when that happens? Because, even if Hugh Jackman IS in it (that's part of the rumor, along with -- choke -- John Travolta, who would doubtless put on his "I'm so adorably goofy!" hat and play Ozzie), that's something I never, ever want to see. The mere thought makes me a little queasy.