Dream Cast For Movie "Follies"

[tnicewarne]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 4:13pm

Okay folks, forgive me if this ground has been covered. According to IMDb there is a film version of Sondheim's "Follies" afoot. Sondheim himself has intimated there was a well know director and a well known actress batting around the idea. (I've heard Sam Mendes' name mentioned as well as Streisand's).
Who would you like to see star in this? And please remember, these gals (and men) have to have some movie marquee presence. I for one would love to see Streisand, MacLaine and Minnelli together. That would pretty much blow my mind.

Tim

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 4:15pm

I can't think of one Hollywood actress who would have the vocal chops for Heidi, to be honest.

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 4:15pm

Updated On: 5/4/09 at 04:15 PM

Posted: 6/15/08 at 6:41pm

I'll take a shot: I imagine it will have to be updatred somewhat- so it's a TV studio being torn down! And so:

Buddy Matthew Perry
Phyllis Courtney Cox
Ben David Schwimmer
Sally Jennifer Anniston

Is that perfect or what?

If only they can gender reverse and have Matt LeBlanc sing "I'm Still Here!"

[jewishboy]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 8:10pm

I'll pay to see that!

[tellybox]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 9:53pm

...and I'd want my money back if I saw that

[B3TA07]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 10:06pm

"...and I'd want my money back if I saw that"

Couldn't you just not go see it then...?

[The Other One]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 10:12pm

Meryl Streep and Christopher Walken should play Sally and Buddy.

[Ellinor]

Posted: 12/11/10 at 7:24pm

Meryl Streep as Sally
Helen Mirren as Phylis
Kiri Te Kanawa as Heidi
Elaine Stritch as Carlotta (Because there's no one better)

And that's what I have so far...

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 12/11/10 at 9:29pm

No.

No no no.

FOLLIES is about the world of the *theatre*. Not TV. Not 1930s MGM musicals, like they tried before the last time this came up. *Theatre*. Call me a purist (HEY, YA DUMB PURIST!), but the biggest obstacle standing in the way of getting a film off the ground is that people think they need to "reconceptualize" it for the screen.

LEAVE IT IN A DAMN THEATRE AND BE DONE WITH IT.

Lord, it's cinematic enough a stage play as it is. But if Hollywood got its claws on it, we'd have to do this and this and this to the script to "open it up!". Then they'd have to pull half the score because no one wants to sit through a three hour movie musical about failed marriages and growing old.

Guys, I love FOLLIES quite possibly more than any of you. I saw the original production when they moved it to LA. It remains one of the most breathtaking scores in Broadway history, bar none.

But.

It.

Is.

Not.

Movie.

Material.

Not unless they rework everything from Ground Zero and introduce a few explosions and perhaps a car chase scene or two. Hollywood isnt gonna know what to do with Chekovian material like this, because cut through it all: there's no story. There's not supposed to be. But your average movie goer, who's about 17 and has the attention span of a gnat, wont come unless they impose a story on it. Then it's not FOLLIES anymore.

[Ellinor]

Posted: 12/11/10 at 9:48pm

I think we all know that.
We all know that if Follies was made into a movie it would stop having the magic that it has now, because they would have to tear it appart, I know that half the show would have to be removed and the other half would be pretty lame, because as you said, there is not much story to work with.

But I'd like to see those people performing Sondheim's wonderful music, it's fun to dream I think.

But I agree, I think unless they filmed it on stage(sort of like Cats) it wouldn't be much good.

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/11/10 at 10:05pm

Sally - Emma Thompson
Phyllis - Vanessa Williams
Carlotta - Goldie Hawn
Whitmans - Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme
Stella - Kathy Bates
Hattie - Shirley MacLaine

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/11/10 at 10:16pm

One Follies fan's dream cast is another Follies fan's nightmare.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/11/10 at 10:27pm

Sally - Emma Thompson or (even though she can't sing it, but she'd act the hell out of it) Judi Dench
Phyllis - Meryl Streep
Carlotta - Kathy Bates or Carol Burnett
Hattie - seconding the Shirley MacLaine section or, dare I say it-- Carol Channing? (probably a bit too old for this cast)
Buddy - Tom Hanks or Alec Baldwin

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 12/11/10 at 10:37pm

Judi Dench just celebrated her 76th birthday the other day. I know we're about to have 60-something Bernadette playing the role, but, really, a 76 year old Sally?

[Jon]

Posted: 12/11/10 at 11:17pm

If Sam Mendes was to direct it, it would have to be Kevin Spacey as Buddy.

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/11/10 at 11:44pm

If Sally were at the young end of the possible age range, I think Robert Downey could play Buddy.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 12/11/10 at 11:54pm

Catherine Zeta Jones would be an ideal Phyllis in 5-10 years, depending on the age you cast the others of course. The same for Kate Winslet and Sally.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 12/12/10 at 5:48am

>> "I think we all know that."

Given the frequency with which this topic is raised, I sometimes wonder about that.

[raker]

Posted: 12/12/10 at 6:14pm

I think Faith Prince would be perfect as Sally, on stage or in a movie.

[theeatah]

Posted: 12/13/10 at 6:26pm

Sally - Judy Garland
Buddy - Mickey Rooney
Ben - Gene Kelly
Phyllis - Alexis Smith
Carlotta - Joan Crawford
Hattie - Ethel Shutta
Stella - Ethel Merman/Ann Miller
Heidi - Jeanette McDonald

[Frank thebellhop]

Posted: 12/13/10 at 6:31pm

If i could revive one artist for one song, it would be Judy Garland to sing Losing My Mind.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 12/13/10 at 6:56pm

I would also want to hear Ms. Garland singing "I'm Still Here." Though in reality the list of all the songs and roles I wish she could have done is pretty long. Just imagining what she would have done with Rose is enough to give me a musical theatre wet dream.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/19/10 at 3:18am

LEAVE IT IN A DAMN THEATRE AND BE DONE WITH IT.

No offense to SeanMartin, because I've heard other people say this or similar before. Since you are the most recent, I'm just jumping off your comments.

Anyway, I NEVER get this argument when it comes to this show being turned into a film. Yeah, it's about the theatre but why does that mean that a movie can't be made about it? It's a circular argument that makes no sense. Why can't there be a movie about the theatre? Is there some of sort of artistic paradox that will boil the brains of all who experience it?

And it's ABOUT the theatre only to the degree that the theatre is the metaphor for everything the show is actually about.

Now, do I think Hollywood could do it justice? Probably not. Not because it's unfilmable, but because most movie adaptations of musicals tend to miss the mark as it is.

Also, Susan Sarandon as Solange.

[FunnyGirl617]

Posted: 12/19/10 at 8:49am

Anne Hathaway for Young Heidi?