Universal to make an American Idiot movie and NOT In The Heights?!

[rmusic11322]

Posted: 4/12/11 at 9:22pm

the f*ck?!.....

[JP2]

Posted: 4/12/11 at 9:28pm

I knew the "budget" reason they gave was bs. Heights is fantastic, but a film staring nothing but little known Latin actors just doesn't spell money for a big movie studio. In the last month they've picked up Les Miz, American Idiot, and possible Gypsy.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/12/11 at 9:29pm

Doesn't mean it will happen: just like ITH isn't happening.

Note: love how the article said it closed LAST year.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/12/11 at 9:58pm

The idea of an American Idiot film has been talked about since the album came out. I doubt it'll ever materialize.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 4/12/11 at 10:07pm

I love movie musicals, BUT I don't see how American Idiot could possibly work as a film. It barely works as a musical...

[JP2]

Posted: 4/12/11 at 10:09pm

Well, with someone like Dustin Lance Black writing, as the article suggests, the movie may actually have a story!

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 4/12/11 at 10:14pm

Well, to that I say huzzah! The material as is desperately needs one...

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 4/12/11 at 10:55pm

If you wanted a return on your investment as a studio, would you invest in a Green Day vehicle in which Billy Joe would probably star and you have a built-in customer base of 20+ million fans, or would you go with a show of, as JP said, unknown Latin actors in a musical that 99% of people outside of NYC have never heard of? It doesn't matter which could be the better show.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 4/12/11 at 11:01pm

It seems like there is always talks about making movies for popular musicals. It rarely actually happens though.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 4/12/11 at 11:13pm

IIRC, there was a movie in the works based on the album long before the musical (or 21st Century Breakdown for that matter), but alas, it went nowhere.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/12/11 at 11:38pm

Make a movie musical of WICKED over NEXT TO NORMAL? What, are they NUTS!?!

Your outrage over this news is laughable. Above, replace WICKED with AMERICAN IDIOT and NEXT TO NORMAL with IN THE HEIGHTS. That's why I chuckle.

Of course the studio will put their money into a movie with a Green Day song catalog.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 4/12/11 at 11:44pm

Yes, American Idiot has more famous songs, but In the Heights was far more successful as a musical. And it lends itself to film translation far more. Though I do completely understand the financial reasoning behind this, I just think it's silly.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 4/12/11 at 11:48pm

BWay - yes, more successful as a musical with a small, captive audience concentrated near NY. Movies, unlike Broadway, rely on NATIONAL appeal. I can guarantee almost no one outside of the NY area, and I'd even say most people IN THIS AREA have never heard of In the Heights or Lin Manuel.

American Idiot, on the other hand, is one of the best selling albums of the decade and millions have heard of it.

[kyle4]

Posted: 4/12/11 at 11:54pm

... as it should be....

[JP2]

Posted: 4/12/11 at 11:56pm

Almost on page 2 and no fan casting yet?

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/13/11 at 12:03am

Meryl Streep as Whatshername.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/13/11 at 12:05am

Madonna as St. Jimmy.

[JP2]

Posted: 4/13/11 at 12:14am

Tom Cruise as The Extraordinary Girl.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/13/11 at 12:24am

Why does HEIGHTS have to be a billion dollar musical?
Why did the latin stars(?) turn it down?
Just because the show won the TONY did they have to take the expensive route?
Someone with vision could find the right Latin talent (there's tons out there) and make a good movie from this show but swelled heads have sunk it.

[JP2]

Posted: 4/13/11 at 12:40am

Curtain, I don't know either. I mean, big budget Hollywood musicals with a-list casts cost 50-75 million dollars to make. With a lesser known cast they would cost half of that. If Kenny Ortega made HSM3 for $13, I see no reason why he couldn't make Heights for about the same.

[Square Peg2]

Posted: 4/13/11 at 1:26am

This makes much more sense to me. American Idiot, besides the already recognisable music, with the right people could be seriously cinematically successful, artistically speaking. It could be a Pink Floyd-y delight. Whereas, as much as I love ITH, it is as stagey as stage musicals get. Totally pro forma in terms of characters, plot and corniness. That works in the houses of Rogers and Hammerstein, but wouldn't make the kind of movie I'd like to see.

[Donthatecongratulate]

Posted: 4/13/11 at 1:59am

it's a terrible idea. does anyone remember the "RENT" movie? c'mon.

would the movie actually have a plot unlike the musical? or will it just be an epileptic seizure waiting to happen musch like the musical?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/13/11 at 3:46am

Since Michael Meyer is still directing, I'm not so sure that bringing on a dfferent writer will make THAT big of a difference. He'll still have a hugely heavy hand in the creation of the script and film. I wouldn'tt expect too much.

A studio wants to make money. They THOUGHT they would with ITH with a big name cast, but when that didn't pan out, they passed.
It has little to do with artistic vision, and all to do with the bottom line.

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/13/11 at 5:50am

It's sad and true that most people outside of NY don't know where "the Heights" are, much less want to be "in" them with "a bunch of no-name Latin actors," as you put it.

For a small independent film, I could see this working. It would definitely have a solid niche audience. Hopefully, it can still find financing going that route.

Why doesn't Spike Lee direct it? He'd be great and could probably do it on a shoestring. Or is that too controversial a choice? He's still a pretty high profile director.

Regardless, I can't see "Heights" getting very far down the pipeline as a big-budget, studio-backed musical. It's not commercial enough. If they could attach one "box office name" to it (and I mean a big one), they would have a chance ... like Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd." Or Madonna in "Evita." Or Meryl Streep in "Mamma Mia!" Or John Travolta in "Hairspray." Or Jamie Foxx and Beyonce in "Dreamgirls." But without that name, there's no mainstream movie.

[ReggieonBway]

Posted: 4/13/11 at 5:59am

This is bull. Sorry, but it is. I enjoyed American Idiot immensely, but it's not at ITH's level - and I don't know about AI, but ITH had the potential to be a Sweeney Todd/Chicago-sized hit. I hope Lin goes for another studio.