Catherine Zeta Jones joining ROCK OF AGES film

[JP2]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 12:59pm

http://rockofagesmovieblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/catherine-zeta-jones-is-ready-to-rock.html

WOW!
Updated On: 4/20/11 at 12:59 PM

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 1:23pm

AHH! This is SO exciting! She should do a good job with those two numbers.

[Tag]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 1:32pm

So does this confirm that Franz & Regina are cut from the film version?

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 1:34pm

Awwww, they cut Franz and Regina?

[Will42]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 1:35pm

I'm so glad she's making a film comeback with 3 supporting roles in upcoming films. I'm not sure if her leading lady days are not over yet, but I do hope she have a successful film career as a character actress.
I was very sad to hear that she suffers from bipolar II disorder.

[JP2]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 1:37pm

Deadline Hollywood has a bit more from Shankman:
http://www.deadline.com/2011/04/catherine-zeta-jones-takes-rock-of-ages/


Surprised to hear her character was only created in the last month, since I've heard Franz/Regina/Hertz were out from about a year ago.

[Barney Stinson]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 2:02pm

I still think they should just give Tom Cruise double duty and have him reprise Les Grossman as the villain.

[JustLikeParadise84]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 2:07pm

I like Catherine, but this movie is just getting further and further away from the stage show.

[JP2]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 2:38pm

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What can you tell us about Catherine’s character?
ADAM SHANKMAN: She’s playing the mayor’s wife, which is a role that was specifically created for the movie to streamline the cultural discussions about what was happening during this period, when a segment of our culture was citing rock and roll as being satanic and awful. She plays an arch conservative who’s trying to kill the rock movement in Los Angeles in the ’80s. It’s totally against type for her — it’s anti-sexy. It’s just a superfun role. It’s very similar in tone to the Michelle Pfeiffer character in Hairspray in terms of how she impacts the story.

Clearly she has great musical chops. Was that what drew you to her?
It’s like when we were casting Hairspray — when the idea of casting John Travolta was presented to me, it made sense because I wanted one of the greatest musical stars in existence to get up there and do that again. With this role, it was like, Well, why not go for one of the few women in history who’s won an Oscar in the genre and get her back up there singing and shining and sparkling in a way that only she can?

So what sort of musical numbers will she perform?
She has a couple of numbers. Her big showstopper is going to be “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar.

What was the process of getting her on board?
Well, the role only came about a month ago and we took it to her representatives just — seriously, I’m not kidding — a week or a week and a half ago. She was in the midst of all this other stuff, and I got on the phone with her the other day. She and I have worked together on a number of benefits and things, and we have a social relationship. I said, “Hey, are you down for this?” And she said, “Darling, nothing would make me happier than to come down to Miami and sing and dance for you.”

Obviously this casting announcement comes in the midst of the news about what she’s been struggling with in her personal life. What part did that play in your discussions with her?
First of all, when I talked to her, I’ve never heard her sound happier or more together. I think she’s seeing this as a wonderful homecoming for her. It puts her in an incredible comfort zone. The truth of the matter is, I’m working with a lot of the same people that she worked with on Chicago, so she’s going to be returning to a real family situation. There’s a group of people that are there literally just to kind of be with her and support her. And having rehearsed with her, she’s so happy and at home in the rehearsal room, and when you put that quarter in her and turn her on to sing and dance, it’s just magic. And I think it gives her a giggle to be playing something so against type.

How long will she be shooting?
We start shooting May 19, but her part actually only shoots for about two weeks, so it gives her the opportunity to spend a lot of time with her family over the summer. It really comes at a great time for her.

This all-star cast just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
I know. All I keep thinking about is, What the hell is this junket going to be like? [Laughs] The last two big roles to be cast are the mayor — we’re in that right now — and the journalist who becomes Tom Cruise’s adversary. Every time I shoot off an email to the rest of my cast saying, “You’ll never believe who just joined the family,” the emails coming back are just cries of joy. Everyone is so excited to work together.

[tourboi]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 2:42pm

Franz/Hertz/Regina were the three best parts of ROA for me. This just adds to the list of my reasons not to see this.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 4:23pm

"I like Catherine, but this movie is just getting further and further away from the stage show."

Yes, let's please preserve the artistic integrity of Rock of Ages.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 4:25pm

Shankman really made Hairspray come alive on film in my opinion. I trust what he's doing with Rock of Ages. And, in general, Zeta-Jones is very good in stuff like this.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 4:40pm

Bring it on!!!!!!!

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 4:43pm

I think she should take a rest.

[goldenboy]

Posted: 4/23/11 at 4:47pm

Wow. I am impressed
Rock of Ages and Integrity were used in the same sentence.



Don't kill me.. I never saw Rock of Ages. Just thought that in the same sentence those two words were funny.

Perhaps I never saw Rock of Ages because I suspected it had to much artistic integrity.

Yes that's it.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/23/11 at 4:53pm

Oh, I was being completely facetious.

[goldenboy]

Posted: 4/23/11 at 5:49pm

I got that Kad. That is why I thought it was funny.

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 4/23/11 at 10:30pm

This is a good idea... I mean, when adapting a hilarious comedy to film, the best thing to do is to cut the three funniest characters, right? I mean, it only makes sense...

[JP2]

Posted: 4/23/11 at 10:38pm

Yeah, every time I see a comedy I'm always like "Why the hell aren't there 2 German guys and an annoying hippie? This would be so much funnier".

I mean, that's the main reason I hated The Hangover.

[canmark]

Posted: 4/23/11 at 11:29pm

When I saw ROA in Toronto, Franz was one of the most popular characters. True, Franz/Regina/Hertz didn't make much sense (not that the whole show made much sense), but bringing in CZJ as the villain sounds like Michelle Pfeiffer as the villain (Velma Von Tussle) in Hairspray... meh!

[darquegk]

Posted: 4/23/11 at 11:45pm

It's sounding like the plot remains the same, but instead of the wacky German, the hippie and the effeminate son, the film has opted to go with a caricature of Tipper Gore, the truest enemy to rock and roll of the Eighties. Will it work? I don't know, but I've got a feeling the film will turn out to be the next Mamma Mia- maybe good, not necessarily great, but a guilty pleasure hit. Not even for the music- for the cast. This is the most ludicrously starry cast for a musical since Chicago... maybe even more so.

[JP2]

Posted: 4/23/11 at 11:49pm

I wouldn't even say Chicago. Chicago had 3 a-list actors. This film has what now? 5? I just hope it doesn't collapse upon its star power like Mamma Mia! did.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 4/24/11 at 12:10am

ROA really did need some re-writing. It was a fluffy revue with 80s power ballads.

If they can add a support group and friends to the Tony winning Rabbit Hole, then picking off a few annoying characters from a jukebox musical will be fine.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 4/24/11 at 1:10am

Yes, let's please preserve the artistic integrity of Rock of Ages


Facetious or not it gave me a much needed Laugh Out Loud.

T'anks!

[massofmen]

Posted: 4/24/11 at 6:23pm

yeah jp2. lets hope to God the ROA movie doesn't go the way of the Mamma Mia movie. I mean it only grossed 500 million dollars world wide. damn that would suck for the producers of the ROA movie..