Billy Crystal to be the Devil in Damn Yankees film!

http://www.mtishows.com/bio.asp?bID=3449

I was looking around for information on Richard Adler and I came across this link. On the bottom under Current Projects, it says that Billy Crystal will be playing the Devil in the new film! Has anyone heard anything about this? And if it's true, how do we feel about this casting?

Namo ;
Take comfort in that this bit of casting is premature and Travolta is actively pursuing this. :) I can't remember how I know this... but as soon as I find a link to it I will post it.

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Updated On: 4/18/04 at 07:41 PM

Travolta hasn't exactly had a Midas touch with his movies lately, either.

Due? What do you mean? Travolta has tons of control over the movies he makes, much more so than the vast majority of actors out there. If he screws up, it's more his responsibility because of that.

If you mean that by the rules of probability he has to strike gold sometime, I disagree. Let's pretend that every movie had a random 1 in 5 chance of being successful. That means that every single time, you have a 20% chance of success. Just because Travolta has had a few flops in a row doesn't raise those odds. It's 20%, every time. The fact that he's showed poor taste as of late doesn't bode well for him.

But the fact that he's managed to stage one comback in the past is encouraging. Maybe a musical is just what he needs.

I'd like to see Rupert Everett play the Devil

Other suggestions (not knowing whether they can sing or not):

George Clooney
Edward Norton
Johnny Depp

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He passed on Chicago? I didn't hear that. I read that Hugh Jackman, Kevin Klein, and Kevin Spacey passed on it, in that order, before Richard Gere was approached. And man, that movie would have been so much better if they hadn't.

If you want bad choices, look no farther than the excerable Battlefield Earth. Or Swordfish. Hey, Hugh Jackman's in that one, too!

Anyway, I think I'll listen to a recording of Damn Yankees before I start making casting suggestions. Haven't heard it in a long time...

Yes he did pass on Chicago. He was on Oprah. She asked him if there was ever a role he regrets having passed on. He said Billy Flyn in Chicago.

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Amen Plum.

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Yeah but he wasn't a extraordinar applegate to begin with; so why would they do that?

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I liked Garber as the devil as well. I thought he was much better than Jerry Lewis.

I think Garber has gained enough publicity to have a starring role in a new movie musical; the musical doesn't have that much of a name outside of the theater world; so you need someone pretty big in the film industry to take on the role. Does anyone else think Richard Gere could do the role?

Please please please not Richard Gere. Please. His singing in Chicago was just...not good. Not good. And that's about the nicest way I can put it.

I think Damn Yankees isn't that obscure. The title alone should arouse some interest. The world is filled withe Yankee haters, after all. :)

OK, I loved Garber as the Devil in DAMN YANKEES and he was the main reason I saw it. I am thrilled with his Hollywood success but he has been absent from the stage for too long.