broadway Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Steven Spielberg Is Broadway Bound
Filed under: Music & Musicals », Deals », Dreamworks », Steven Spielberg », Trailers and Clips »
Famed director Steven Spielberg has made lots of different kinds of movies over the years. He's dabbled in sci-fi, comedy, period pieces, kid's flicks -- you name it, he's made it. But one genre he's never touched is maybe the hardest of them all: the musical. Well, that's about to change, because Variety reports the director is working with Showtime to develop a behind the scenes series about a musical Broadway show. Spielberg has reportedly been developing the series for years now, and has now handpicked his team for a deal with Showtime.The series is still in development, but what is known is that the show will center on "a behind-the-scenes look at every aspect of launching a tuner, from penning the songs to recruiting investors." There are also plans to mount an actual Broadway show once the season finishes on Showtime.
According to Variety, Spielberg is counting on the series having the legs to go for at least a few seasons and center on different productions each season. Personally, I love pulling back the curtain on anything to do with the world of entertainment, and there is no shortage of stories to choose from considering the entertainment business is packed with some wild characters. So what do you think? I know I'm sold on the idea -- how about you?
After the jump: some of my favorite behind-the-scenes musicals...
Say Goodbye to Spider-Man ... The Musical
Filed under: Music & Musicals », Sony », RumorMonger », Celebrities and Controversy », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
I'll admit, I never understood why anyone thought Spider-Man would make a good musical -- even with music by Bono and The Edge. But Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark seemed inevitable, and once we got word that Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming were joining the cast, the big-budgeted show seemed to be chugging along nicely towards it's 2010 release date. But all is not well in the world of Spidey, and Michael Riedel at the New York Post is reporting that the show is in serious trouble. According to Riedel, the set designers have been put on hiatus, actors might be released from their contracts, and staff is scrambling to cash their checks before the money runs out.The production is still a long way from being finished, and according to sources, "A lot of it seems to exist only in Julie's [Taymor] head," But as far as Taymor and company are concerned, the show is on track for previews in February, 2010. According to the official website, tickets will be going on sale in October, but sources claim that agents are already trying to return the tickets that have been sold for advance previews.
After the jump: so where did it all go wrong?...
Liev Schreiber's Sabretooth Loves Comics and Dancing
Filed under: Action », Fandom », 20th Century Fox », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
This is a quote that is not going to make a certain crowd of men happy -- the guys who yelled "Don't do it Wolverine!" during The Boy From Oz, or the Fox suits who shift uncomfortably at the Tony Awards. When it comes to X-Men Origins: Wolverine press, we haven't heard a ton from the new Sabretooth, Liev Schreiber. But SciFi Wire caught up with him, and he was all too happy to discuss playing Wolverine's nemesis. "The character I play is incredibly brutal and feral and has a bloodlust unlike any other character I've ever played. This guy is a real killer."
It turns out that Schreiber is a longtime fan of Wolverine's solo adventures, which delights me to no end. "I was a fan of the comic books. I just loved the character of Wolverine. I always have. That sort of deeply ironic and very urban sensibility on a superhero was something that I thought was really groundbreaking, the style of writing, particularly the very sort of editorial style. I just always loved it, and I think that we were able to capture some of that darkness in this movie, so I'm very proud."
Pulitzer-Winning 'Osage County' Will Be a Movie -- But Will It Be Good?
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Deals », Fandom », The Weinstein Co. »
One of Broadway's biggest non-musical hits this year has been August: Osage County, a 3 1/2-hour comic drama about an appallingly dysfunctional family that completely falls apart when its patriarch goes missing. (The photo represents a typical moment.) It inspired rapturous reviews, won five Tonys (including best play), and won the Pulitzer Prize for drama. I saw it when I was in New York in May and can attest to its caustic, dark hilarity and its vividly realistic characters.
It's been known since at least March (thanks, Jeff Wells) that a film version was in the works, but now that Harvey Weinstein has signed on as co-producer, with The Weinstein Company taking worldwide distribution rights, things have heated up. (Not that this was a surprise, considering The Weinstein Co. co-produced the Broadway version, too.) And now the inevitable problems with a stage-to-screen translation become apparent.
First of all, there's the length. The playwright, Tracy Letts (who also wrote Bug, recently made into a weird Ashley Judd movie), is doing the adaptation. Surely Weinstein will pressure him to trim it down. Plays are allowed to run that long; movies usually aren't unless they're big, sweeping epics. Osage County takes place entirely in one house and spans only a couple days of time.
Then there is casting. The Broadway production had no major stars, no big names. The temptation would be to cast someone like Meryl Streep as the acerbic, pill-popping matriarch, Violet. But Deanna Dunagan won a Tony for playing the role, and while she may not be a marquee name, her performance is so brilliantly feisty and malevolent that she should be allowed to replicate it onscreen. She's earned it.
Interview: Rainn Wilson
Filed under: Comedy », Casting », New Releases », Fandom », DIY/Filmmaking », Interviews »
Above: Rainn Wilson lets his hair down for The Rocker.
Fans of Rainn Wilson's offbeat, hilarious and strangely endearing performance as Dwight Schrute on NBC's The Office might expect him to transition into film work with straightforward comedy, and The Rocker confirms that suspicion. However, they might not realize the serious professional motives behind his choice. In the movie, directed by Peter Cattaneo (The Full Grown Monty), Wilson plays a grown-up dolt named Fish with a scary fixation on classic rock. Abandoned by the band Vesuvius in his teens -- before they became a commercial phenomenon -- Fish spends the next twenty years working deadbeat jobs and wishing things happened differently. Naturally, he gets a second chance: When the opportunity rolls around to drum for his nephew's high school, Fish goes for it. Ageism and slapstick humor ensue.
While not exactly a classic, The Rocker proves Wilson has the charisma to carry a movie. The script could use some polishing, but Wilson manages to play a completely dysfunctional human being without ever becoming an annoyance. It's a testament to his skill as an actor with calculated timing. The humor emerges from the naturalism of his performances, which make you believe in the outlandish characters he portrays. In a conversation with Cinematical recently, Wilson elaborated on his particular strategies as his career advances, reminisced about his days as a New York theater actor, and shed some light on a few upcoming projects.
Fan Rant: Hey Hollywood -- Give Us a 'Jersey Boys' Movie!
Filed under: Music & Musicals », Fandom », Fan Rant »
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So after what's felt like a gazillion years, I finally managed to catch Jersey Boys on Broadway last night ... and all I could think about the entire time was why this hasn't been turned into a movie yet. (But in a good way.) In the past few years, we've had Chicago, Rent, Hairspray and The Producers, with Mamma Mia and Nine on the horizon. Where's Jersey Boys? The damn show gets a standing ovation every night, not to mention it's got a great story, great characters and, well, fantastic music. It'd be like Goodfellas: The Musical -- and something like that would probably rake in more cash (from both men and women) than most of these movie-musicals to date.
I haven't had this much fun watching a musical in years; probably since Wicked (which is another one that needs to hit the big screen at some point). But when I sat there, picturing how they could adapt each scene and make it really work on the big screen, one annoying issue kept beating me over the head: Who in the world do you cast? Since Hollywood is all about sticking names in these sorts of roles, you'd need four young guys who not only can sing (Valli gets UP there), but also come with thick Jersey accents. Off the top of my head, I don't know of any young, Hollywood stars who fit the bill. MAYBE Zac Efron, but he might be a tad too young ... and I've never seen him do a tough, Jersey accent (honestly, I don't know if I want to ...)
Mel Brooks' 'Young Frankenstein" Musical Gets Critical Lashing
Filed under: Comedy », Music & Musicals », RumorMonger », Newsstand »
I really, really love Young Frankenstein, as is obvious from my retro review here. It has always been my favorite Mel Brooks movie, and was one of the first DVDs I ever bought. The film began my love of everything Madeline Kahn; it was one of the few great movies in my youth that wasn't a retro Disney movie or '80s crapfest. It's just damned good. After all the success Brooks had with The Producers on-stage, one would think that the same success could be found with source material like Frankenstein, but unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case.In their Studio Briefing news at IMDb, there's a collection of notes from theatrical reviewers on the Broadway production, and they aren't very positive. In fact, it's looking like this musical is tarnishing all the wonder of the original film. According to Ben Brantley, the production saps the original of its joy, and definitely isn't worth its exorbitant budget and pricey premier seating; Chris Jones called it a "colossal disappointment", while even the nicer reviews still say the magic, spark, and greatness is gone. That's really a shame. On the one hand, at least we'll probably be free of a movie that is based on a musical, which is based on a movie. But it's still sad. Have any of you seen it? Is it as much of a waste as the reviewers describe?
Get Ready 'To Die For' a New Musical
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Music & Musicals », Thrillers », Deals », Fandom », Exhibition », Remakes and Sequels »
When Pamela Smart was seducing Billy Flynn, I bet she never fathomed not only getting caught, but just how far her life would travel in the realms of the media. In case you somehow missed the whole Smart drama -- she was the older woman who seduced the 15-year-old Flynn, then threatened to leave him unless he killed her husband. He followed her wishes, and now she's got life in prison without parole. The story was made into a television movie, and then a novel by Joyce Maynard that spawned Nicole Kidman's To Die For. Now Playbill says that the producers of the musical Xanadu are looking to adapt To Die For to hit the Broadway stage. The production will be an update of both the novel and the film.Xanadu producer B. Swibel says: "The message of To Die For is more timely and provocative than ever." Maynard, who is also involved, continues: "If ever there was a larger than life character, destined to belt out her songs on Broadway, it's the character of Suzanne Maretto -- a woman who recognized the power of reality television about twenty years ahead of the rest of America. I feel excited, watching the story I wrote and the characters I created taking shape for the stage." The project is only in the beginning stages, but I'm sure we'll soon here more about the production, see it hit Broadway, and probably then re-hit the big screen with all its singing glory. What do you think? Are you ready for some Broadway Maretto full of songs, seduction, and murder?
A Naked Harry Potter Plans to Head to New York
Filed under: RumorMonger », Fandom », Harry Potter »
Around the same time that Daniel Radcliffe makes fans squee with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which is scheduled to come out in November of next year, it looks like he'll send North American girls into a flutter by reprising his Equus role in New York City. Reuters has reported that the actor is hoping to debut the play on Broadway late next year. I would assume that this would be after the film comes out, so he can get all the press tours done before he drops trou again.His involvement in the UK production created enormous buzz, both for his nudity and his smoking, and the play relished in advanced ticket sales that rose above $4 million. If you remember, the play is about a psychiatrist who is trying to help a young man who has been blinding horses with a metal hoof pick. (It is also based on a true story.) As for a possible run on Broadway, Radcliffe says: "I would be very nervous because I think that [the audiences are] even more discerning than in London. But I know we have a good show, it was a good show when we did it in London and hopefully if we do it again it will still be that good. It has to be better."
Better or not, I bet he could totally mess up, and hordes of girls will still see it for not only a glimpse of Harry in person, but also Daniel in all his glory. I mean, how many fan girls ever get to see that much, especially when the actor is still so young? (He turned 18 in July.) At the very least it will remind audiences once again that he's more than just a princely wizard. I can only imagine what sort of roles he steps into once the franchise is complete... In the meantime, you can check him out in December Boys, which opens later this month.
Could Spielberg Be Interested in a 'Farnsworth Invention' Movie?
Filed under: Drama », New Line », RumorMonger », Steven Spielberg »
It was written and announced as a movie back in 2004, but for some reason Aaron Sorkin's The Farnsworth Invention never made it to the big screen. Instead it premiered this year as a stage play, and following a popular run out in California, it is now coming to Broadway. So, could it again be optioned as a movie? That is what Hollywood Elsewhere is speculating. And the site thinks Steven Spielberg may be the one to return the script to Hollywood. Back in March, Variety reported that Steven Spielberg would be potentially aiding in the play's transition to the Big Apple, though only as a limited partner. Then, last month when the Broadway run was confirmed, Variety only mentioned that Spielberg was expected to be a part of its producing team. Unfortunately, I can't find anywhere that it says the filmmaker is definitely involved.
The Farnsworth Invention tells the story of Philo Farnsworth, who invented the first electronic television then had to fight RCA president David Sarnoff over its patent. Despite the familiar David vs. Goliath premise, the play is supposedly really good. Sorkin, who is better known these days for his television work (The West Wing; Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip), was last on Broadway with A Few Good Men, which he also adapted into a movie, which starred Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson. Although Sorkin may have felt The Farnsworth Invention was more appropriately told on the stage, I can't imagine why he wouldn't also try to make more money from the story by letting it be made into a film. Regardless of how common-sounding the play's premise is, though, it could be ruined for the screen by the very similar Flash of Genius, an upcoming movie that focuses on the inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper.
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Discuss: Who Would be the Most Profitable Director if ...
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