Tom Hooper to take on Les Miserables

[danoyse]

I'll wait until I hear her sing something from Les Miz before I decide this was the worst thing that ever happened.

Writing off the entire movie over this now is just plain stupid.

 

[terry78]

Now if we only had Kanye as Javert it would complete the trifecta.

 

[flickchick85]

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)

Really not trying to stomp all over your optimism danoyse (I admire it!), but the big difference there is that regardless of the public's negative reaction to those pop stars, both Debbie Gibson and Shanice could actually sing.

 

[JP]

You don't HAVE to hear her sing anything from Les Miz. She can barely sing her own songs.

And I'm not writing of the film. I'm just expressing my opinion.

Really not trying to stomp all over your optimism danoyse (I admire it!), but the big difference there is that regardless of the public's negative reaction to those pop stars, both Debbie Gibson and Shanice could actually sing.

This.

 

[kvz5]

Now if we only had Kanye as Javert it would complete the trifecta.

It won't be complete until Beyonce is cast.

 

[danoyse]

You don't HAVE to hear her sing anything from Les Miz. She can barely sing her own songs.

And I'm not writing of the film. I'm just expressing my opinion.

Well then don't tell anyone else how to express theirs.

Les Miz survived a Jonas Brother, it will survive this too.

 

[flickchick85]

Those wondering about Amanda Seyfried's singing, here are a couple samples (sorry 'bout the ABBA):




Like I said, nothing extraordinary but a decent, sweet voice.

 

[Raiden]

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.

I hope the Taylor Swift rumor isn't true, either. If it's true, then this movie went from must-watch to hold on to your wallet. I do agree that the rest of the cast is stellar, but her casting would be akin to casting a Jonas brother or a Twilight alumni for a pivotal role.

 

[JP]

Well then don't tell anyone else how to express theirs.

Les Miz survived a Jonas Brother, it will survive this too.

A Jonas brother who can actually sing, even if he wasn't the ideal Marius, he can actually sing.

And comparing singing at a concert with something as defining and permanent as film is, in my honest opinion, silly.

- Aaron Tveit isn't right vocally for Enjolras, but he CAN sing, and can sing well.
- HBC doesn't have much of a voice, but has the right look at attitude to pull off Madame Thenardier.
- Hugh Jackman is completely wrong for Valjean, but Hugh Jackman CAN sing, and is a fantastic actor, so all that needs to be done is a simple change of key for all his songs.

There's no amount of key changes or acting classes that can suddenly make Taylor Swift an inspired choice.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Now if we only had Kanye as Javert it would complete the trifecta.

Dramatic music swells, then a poignant pause.

HUGH (sings): God on high, hear my prayer ...

KANYE: Yo, Jean, I'm really happy for you, Imma let you finish, but the July Monarchy is the best Monarchy of all time!!!

 

[narrows101]

More info from Hugh in an interview about the end of his Broadway run on Sunday and Les Mis - interview done Jan. 2 since he mentions his show ended "last night."

You’re starting rehearsals for the movie adaptation of Les Miz later this month. I read that there are going to be no prerecorded songs — that you’ll be singing live on the set. Is that true?

Yes, I believe we are going to be singing live. We will obviously have to do a safety prerecord, because when you’re singing you’ve got to have all the music in your ear, and I’m guessing also for quality of sound for the soundtrack. And sometimes when you film there are noises — smoke machines, things like that — where the actual sound on set may not be usable. But most of it we’re going to be singing live, which for something like Les Miserables is essential. You don’t want it to feel like it’s all done in a recording studio, nor do you want it to look like the actors are miming the whole thing. I wouldn’t know how to do that. I think it would take more work to mime it than to sing it.

Les Miz is such a beloved show. Does that add pressure? Or make you more motivated?

More motivated. I auditioned. I went hard for the part. I wasn’t sitting back waiting for this one. This is one I really wanted. I feel, weirdly, that all the things in my life — particularly my professional life, which has been close to twenty years — have been converging to this point. I feel very lucky and blessed to have been in movies, and I feel lucky and blessed to have been in musicals. I’ve been waiting a long time to combine the two, and to be able to do it with something like Les Miserables, it just feels like a pinnacle.

Do you remember the first time you saw Les Miz?

Yes, I saw it in Australia for the first time, actually. A mate of mine was in it and I was completely blown away. I’ve seen it three times now, not including the PBS specials. Actually, the very first song I used as an audition piece was “Stars” from Javert. It wasn’t right for the musical — I was auditioning for Beauty and the Beast so they were like, “Why are you singing ‘Stars’?” But I was coming out of acting school and my acting teacher had made me sing that one song, so it was the only thing I had music to.

What about the physical transformation? Jean Valjean changes so much during the show.

Well, it’s an eighteen-year span, so he’ll go through a transformation during the film, but when we start he is in a labor camp. He’s described as a “great ox of a man,” so as [director] Tom [Hooper] says, “I don’t want pecks, I don’t want you to look like you’ve been to the gym, I want you to look like you’ve been hauling ropes to get ships into the shipyard.” I’m literally starting training in a half-hour. I’m about to go into a whole lot of squats and pulling ropes and pulling myself up ropes. At the same time, I don’t get to eat any fun stuff because he wants me to be lean in the face like I’ve been in a labor camp. But then he gets rich and goes to pot, so that part will be fun.

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainmen...way-records-and-live-singing-for-les-miz.html

 

[protocida]

You guys have more mood swings than Nic Cage.

 

[Raiden]

Taylor Swift beats out Lea Michele for 'Les Miserables' role

 

[jmc]

Taylor's pruuuuuuuty.

 

[Raiden]

Taylor's pruuuuuuuty.

This casting move kind of reminds me of what they did with the classic musical My Fair Lady. Julie Andrews was the first Eliza Doolittle and she made a name for herself playing this role on Broadway, but when they adapt the movie they decided to cast the more well-known actress & star Audrey Hepburn for the part of Doolittle, even though they had to dub her singing voice in the film. I think casting Swift over Michele is probably a decision bore out of believing that Swift would bring in more moviegoers over the lesser-known Michele.

 

[JP]

Well, EW/Variety/Deadline all confirmed the Seyfried report. Says she's in negotiations. Neither trade made any mention of Swift.

 

[danoyse]

This casting move kind of reminds me of what they did with the classic musical My Fair Lady. Julie Andrews was the first Eliza Doolittle and she made a name for herself playing this role on Broadway, but when they adapt the movie they decided to cast the more well-known actress & star Audrey Hepburn for the part of Doolittle, even though they had to dub her singing voice in the film. I think casting Swift over Michele is probably a decision bore out of believing that Swift would bring in more moviegoers over the lesser-known Michele.

And Julie Andrews wound up winning the Oscar that year over Audrey Hepburn.

Out of curiosity, I just looked on a country music site where this was reported to see what the reaction was. A few gripes, but overall extremely positive - defintely more than I've seen anywhere else. They defintely love their Taylor Swift over there.

I told a friend at work today about it - his favorite character is Eponine, and I thought he would hate it. He actual response was "Awesome!". He was fine with it - he even said he hopes she plays it differently than the stage version. Wasn't expecting that.

I'm still on the fence about it. Listening to a clip of her singing "Tonight" from West Side Story didn't boost my confidence any.

But like I said, I'm surprisingly unfazed about the whole thing. It's the marketing person in me that realizes why the studio probably thinks this is a good idea. Whether it works or not is a whole other story...

I haven't been a Les Miz fan for more than 20 years to quit on it now (especially with Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean!), that's for sure.

 

[JP]

That "Tonight" clip is so painful.

But yes, I'm over this by now. Eponine is my favorite character, so I'll somehow just have to pretend she doesn't exist. I just want them to start shooting already!

 

[Raiden]

That "Tonight" clip is so painful.

But yes, I'm over this by now. Eponine is my favorite character, so I'll somehow just have to pretend she doesn't exist. I just want them to start shooting already!

It's impossible to pretend that Swift/Eponine doesn't exist, since "On My Own" is definitely one of the highlights of Les Miserables (and it is why it's the first song we hear after the Intermission).

Maybe they can dub Swift's voice over with Michele's in the movie.

 

[DarkSovereignty]

so wait is this official or just a likely rumor?

 

[Boom]

Not really a fan of Taylor Swift.

Adele or Bust .

 

[JP]

It's impossible to pretend that Swift/Eponine doesn't exist, since "On My Own" is definitely one of the highlights of Les Miserables (and it is why it's the first song we hear after the Intermission).

Maybe they can dub Swift's voice over with Michele's in the movie.

I'm trying to be positive.

 

[danoyse]

I have Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean. Seriously, do I need anything else?

Enjolras has always been my favorite character, though.

 

[JP]

I'm extremely happy with that particular casting. I can hear the people sing, and it sounds beautiful.

 

[JP]

Someone posted this on BWW:

[SIZE=-2]beautywickedlover, you're aware that every single one of those "reports" are all citing the same initial article from Twitch Film, right? No other site has come out and independently verified that Swift has gotten an offer, and the fact that the studio confirmed Seyfried's negotiations today with no mention of Swift should indicate the validity of the initial rumor as of now. If Mike Fleming at Deadline (the most reputable reporter in the entertainment news industry) didn't even mention Swift, there's nothing to report.

As I said, I have it on good authority that while they have very strong interest in Swift, she has yet to receive a formal offer. Of everyone who's been seen, she's the frontrunner, but there are other people in the mix who've yet to be seen, which I imagine is why this rumor got out and has spread like wildfire. She could very well end up winning the role, but that hasn't happened yet.[/SIZE]

Read more: http://broadwayworld.com/board/read...ead=1040566&m=4228690&boardid=1#ixzz1iXLYlDPR
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