Tom Hooper to take on Les Miserables

[kvz5]

I hope so. I just watched The Prestige for the first time in ages tonight and it amazing how criminally overlooked both he and Christian Bale were for that movie at awards time that year. Such a great movie.

I bet you if The Prestige came out now it wouldn't be overlooked. Christopher Nolan directed it and that was pre-Batman. It would probably get more hype now and perhaps a later release date than October.

Yup. I definitely think that The Prestige would've fared better critically and commercially if it was released after TDK or Inception. It would've gotten a much deserved awards push as well. The acting in that movie was superb all throughout. Specially in a weak year and with the cards played right, I can see it getting 3 acting nods (Best Actor/Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress).

I hope for a oscar nod, but who knows what new oscar bait will show up and bump him.

Getting a nod is giving the right performance at the right movie at the right time and I think Les Miserables will be that movie for Hugh. It's also obvious that Universal is banking on it to be an awards contender so the odds are looking pretty good.

 

[narrows101]

Latest rumor - I guess dummy doesn't know that Fantine dies when Cosette is a child.

BREAKING: Amanda Seyfried Offered Cosette In Tom Hooper's LES MISERABLES
by Todd Brown, January 3, 2012 8:11 PM

While I freely confessed to being puzzled at who the audience is that will pay to see a new film version of Les Miserables, full credit to The King's Speech director Tom Hooper for assembling a cast with a fighting chance of making people want to.

Song and dance man Hugh Jackman already has the lead part of Jean Valjean with Helena Bonham Carter, Russell Crowe, Sacha Baron Cohen and Anne Hathaway in the other key parts.

And now Twitch has learned that Amanda Seyfried (In Time, Lovelace) has been offered the role of Cosette. Rumblings are that director Hooper intends to have the actors sing their own parts in the film without the use of voice doubles, in which case Seyfried's singing background - she is opera trained - will certainly come in handy. The irony of the casting is that, should she accept, she will be playing the daughter of Anne Hathaway's Fantine. Hathaway is only three years older than Seyfried in real life.

http://twitchfilm.com/news/2012/01/breaking-amanda-seyfried-offered-cosette-in-tom-hoopers-les-miserables.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TwitchEverything+(Twitch%3A+Everything)

 

[Raiden]

Latest rumor - I guess dummy doesn't know that Fantine dies when Cosette is a child.



http://twitchfilm.com/news/2012/01/breaking-amanda-seyfried-offered-cosette-in-tom-hoopers-les-miserables.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TwitchEverything+(Twitch%3A+Everything)

LOL, this writer is a tool.

 

[narrows101]

The same site is now saying that Taylor Swift has been offered Eponine.

BREAKING: TAYLOR SWIFT OFFERED EPONINE IN TOM HOOPER'S LES MISERABLES

by Todd Brown, January 3, 2012 8:51 PM

At the end of November word came out that director Tom Hooper was auditioning a number of women to play the role of Eponine in his upcoming film adaptation of the musical Les Miserables. Among those who auditioned were reportedly Lea Michele, Scarlett Johansson, Evan Rachel Wood and singer Taylor Swift.

Twitch has now learned that Swift has emerged as Hooper's choice for the part and has received an offer for the role from producers at Universal. Should she accept she will be joining Hugh Jackman, Helena Bonham Carter, Russell Crowe, Sacha Baron Cohen and Anne Hathaway with Amanda Seyfried also offered a major part.

http://twitchfilm.com/news/2012/01/...red-eponine-in-tom-hoopers-les-miserables.php

 

[danoyse]

I see Devin Faraci has already commented to point out how the age difference works.

That site is also reporting that Taylor Swift has been offered Eponine.

 

[kvz5]

Has Hooper actually heard Swift "sing"? Obviously I put that in quotes because she.can't.sing.at.all.

 

[flickchick85]

Oh god, my ears are bleeding just imagining her singing "On My Own." *crosses fingers for it not to be true*

 

[Pink Ranger]

I'm not going to comment too deeply into unfounded casting rumours, though so far it seems that a 14-year-old girl is in charge of casting all the female roles.

 

[Clu]

Oh god, my ears are bleeding just imagining her singing "On My Own." *crosses fingers for it not to be true*

i can see the oscar buzz.....then shes starts singing....then it becomes razzie buzz.

 

[flickchick85]

Seriously - in the studio, her voice is mediocre at best. Live, (which they might be attempting on this film) it's f***ing awful.

On a more positive note, I completely approve of Seyfried as Cosette.

...But if that report has weight, then the Swift thing has weight, and I'm not ready to accept that yet. Or ever.

 

[danoyse]

Hey, if the 25th Anniversary concert can still be good with a Jonas Brother in it....

All right, that's a stretch. I'm not a Taylor Swift fan either. I'm pretty sure she was cast just to appeal to that fanbase that probably wouldn't have seen this movie otherwise (and probably still won't this movie anyway).

Oh well. At least the rest of the cast is awesome.

 

[Pink Ranger]

If Seyfried is a good singer, I'd prefer to see her as Eponine. Her very unique, almost alien, face would be suitable for the street urchin.

 

[kvz5]

Good luck with Hooper specially if he wants to shoot the cast singing live. Taylor Swift singing live? Oh god.

 

[danoyse]

Well, this guarantees that I'll be taking time off from theater message boards already. They're all writing the whole movie off because of this.

I don't like it either, but...wow. Climb down off the ledge, people.

 

[flickchick85]

Well, this guarantees that I'll be taking time off from theater message boards already. They're all writing the whole movie off because of this.

I don't like it either, but...wow. Climb down off the ledge, people.

Well, Eponine isn't exactly the most essential part of the musical so I'm certainly not writing the movie off because of this.

...but that ledge is still looking awfully tempting. It really is a horrible, horrible choice. I mean, no one's even mentioned her "acting" yet, which is borderline unwatchable.

I feel bad because I never bash Taylor Swift. While I don't care for any of her talents, she seems like a nice girl who has worked hard and achieved a lot, and she seems to be a fantastic role model for her fanbase, unlike most starlets her age. BUT there are certain things she should just stay far, far away from, and Les Miz is most definitely one of them.

If Seyfried is a good singer, I'd prefer to see her as Eponine. Her very unique, almost alien, face would be suitable for the street urchin.

She seems to be merely a decent singer to me, but her voice has a nice natural tone, so I'd still have higher hopes for her in the role than Swift. Plus, she can, ya know, act, too. Which Eponine requires more than Cosette.

 

[JP]

This literally made me want to vomit. I'm generally very easy to please when it comes to adaptations of things I love. I was on board with First Class from the get go, and I thought the Rock of Ages cast was flawless while everyone else complained about it.

But THIS? This just makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Taylor Swift has zero color to her voice. No amount of sweetening and autotuning in a studio can make her sound great on a song like "On My Own".

The cast was looking so great until this. Seriously, why?

 

[Clu]

I personally dont care, the cast already is stacked. They might have a dud tossed in randomly, but overall it will be good. Might surprise people and she might be very good. Just have to live by a...wait and see approach.

 

[JP]

I don't mind having duds. HBC can't sing, but Madam Thenardier isn't really a singing role, and HBC is a fabulous actress so it just makes up for it.

But when you have a role that is known for being the breakthrough performance of the show with a showstopping number, you would think that singing would be a requirement.

I mean, it's like casting Rihanna as Effie White in Dreamgirls.

 

[kvz5]

I'm just stumped with the choice. Obviously, it will be hard to get someone that's great at both singing and acting so I could live with them getting someone that's good at one thing and at least semi-decent with the other. But to get someone that's been awful at both? I'm stumped.

 

[Clu]

I don't mind having duds. HBC can't sing, but Madam Thenardier isn't really a singing role, and HBC is a fabulous actress so it just makes up for it.

But when you have a role that is known for being the breakthrough performance of the show with a showstopping number, you would think that singing would be a requirement.

I mean, it's like casting Rihanna as Effie White in Dreamgirls.

I hear ya. Just have to trust the directors judgment on it. HBC im not worried about. She just has to look mean and call people ****s. Sure swift isnt the greatest choice but never know, might steal the show and be one of the best performances of the movie or might say it was one of the worst.....bottom line, people will be talking about it

 

[kvz5]

I'm actually very excited to see HBC in the movie.

 

[danoyse]

I personally dont care, the cast already is stacked. They might have a dud tossed in randomly, but overall it will be good. Might surprise people and she might be very good. Just have to live by a...wait and see approach.

I feel the same. I'm strangely not as bothered by this as I should be..and I can't stand Taylor Swift.

I'm having the same reaction I had at the 25th Anniversary Concert. Nick Jonas leaves me like but the rest of it is so good that I love it anyway.

I was talking about the movie with my cousin on Christmas - she's also a huge fan and she sang "On My Own" at school concert when we were kids and she was amazing - and when I eyerolled the Taylor Swift rumor she looked shocked and just said "I LOVE her!"

So go figure. It's funny to watch the Twitter responses.

I'm not worried yet. I've waited 22 years for a damn Les Mis move, I'm certainly not going to let this deter my enthusiasm that it's finally happening and still has a great cast despite this one possible hiccup.

 

[flickchick85]

HBC will be great, I have no doubt.

I hear ya. Just have to trust the directors judgment on it.

I think the root of my problem is, I don't trust Tom Hooper at all. His showering of awards and accolades last year was totally undeserved, imo. Oh well, I'm still hoping for the best. This news just makes that extra difficult.

 

[danoyse]

I'm also not shocked at this. I had feeling it was going to be Swift as soon as it was rumored. It just reeked of 'mainstream' casting.

I remember when Debbie Gibson was cast as Eponine on Broadway and everyone freaked. That worked out in the end.

I saw Shanice as Eponine in 1995 (I think??) and she was really good too. (if you've never heard of her, she was famous for this song back in the 90s)

All I have to do is remember the Hugh Jackman/Russell Crowe casting, and I don't even think about Taylor Swift.

 

[JP]

It's hard to trust someone after something like this. This isn't a case "Wait and see, maybe it'll be good!" We already know how Taylor Swift sounds. She has no range. She can only just carry a tune.