FOLLIES Movie Adaptation in the Works!!- Page 2

[SweetLips22]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 3:36am

BrodyFosse123 said: "rattleNwoolypenguin said: "If Ann Margret can sing it- also an amazing choice."

A lot of these 'oldies' have had so much surgery that they are just a characteristic of their former self. They have to look 'untouched'.

"

 

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 7:28am

Hannah Waddingham is so the right choice for this. That’s a great suggestion! She’s popular right now and has an amazing voice.

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 10:56am

sng said: "Hannah Waddingham - Phyllis

Amy Adams - Sally

Hugh Jackman - Ben

??? - Buddy





Angela Lansbury - Hattie

Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkins - Emily and Thedore

Bette Midler - Solange

Patti Lupone - Carlotta

Chita Rivera - Stella

I'd be on board for this cast...how about DANNY BURSTEIN as Buddy??

 

[ELFcubed]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 11:35am

Not sure how I feel about it overall. Hope the director has a really strong vision for how to turn this plot light show with a string of showstoppers into a film that captures the glamour and deterioration that makes it so thrilling live.

And while she isn't a "name" outside of theater/opera worlds, Harolyn Blackwell should absolutely play Heidi.  

[carnzee]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 11:44am

BrodyFosse123 said: "Phyllis and Sally are about 48-49 in FOLLIES. It’s mentioned in the book. "

No it isn't.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 11:53am

Someone will be a naysayer, so I'll jump to the front of the line.

The show's magic is entirely theatrical. We, the live audience, collectively eavesdrop, via a daring, fully immersive conceit: we're in the actual space where the action occurs. We suspend disbelief that ghosts walk among the players, the thrill in the collapse of time and shared stage of past and present, that Proustian prism. But movies create such illusions easily -- our gasps would be about FX and edits -- and a party before a theater is razed isn't inherently cinematic if you're not a guest. Follies works because we are invited, too. The film may be a beautiful idea -- daring because it's non-linear -- but remember Nine's issues? What was stylized in theater played like people singing to a camera in music videos. The minute Follies becomes concert-like, drawing attention to what the camera enhances, it loses its ability to solicit that eavesdropping element. That said, I'll be there the opening day.

[Marlothom]

Posted: 2/10/24 at 1:27pm

This week's BEAUTIFUL episode of Feud: Capote v. The Swans, is how I imagine a Follies movie would be. I think the concept of a "documentary" being filmed about the party, could also provide interesting angles, ways of placing focus in certain parts of the party, and a bit of eavesdropping (hearing things we are not supposed to be hearing).  

[darquegk]

Posted: 2/10/24 at 2:06pm

If this actually happens, I’m not sure a director of theatre and musicals should helm it. I think Ti West, who has primarily worked in horror, has shown the exact right touch in the X series. This is, after all, a show about dreams and delusions and half-seen memories bubbling over into the waking world. 
 

“Pearl” almost feels like an audition for “Follies” with more blood.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 2/10/24 at 3:06pm

Marlothom said: "This week's BEAUTIFUL episode of Feud: Capote v. The Swans, is how I imagine a Follies movie would be. I think the concept of a "documentary" being filmed about the party, could also provide interesting angles, ways of placing focus in certain parts of the party, and a bit of eavesdropping (hearing things we are not supposed to be hearing)."

The semi-recent revival at the National Theatre sort of used a documentary being made as a thread in the beginning since the script just wanders from the middle of one story to the middle of another it showed that former follies girl being interviewed then another, etc.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/10/24 at 3:49pm

 

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 2/10/24 at 4:39pm

darquegk said: "If this actually happens, I’m not sure a director of theatre and musicals should helm it. I think Ti West, who has primarily worked in horror, has shown the exact right touch in the X series. This is, after all, a show about dreams and delusions and half-seen memories bubbling over into the waking world.


“Pearl” almost feels like an audition for “Follies” with more blood."

I am 100% on board for movie musicals with unorthodox choices for directors. My dream Next to Normal​​​​​​​ film would be directed by Ari Aster.

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 2/10/24 at 6:22pm

Ti West's obsession with nostalgiabation cinema makes him the wrong director for a film about the danger of nostalgia and living in the past.

[joevitus]

Posted: 2/10/24 at 10:30pm

Auggie27 said: "Someone will be a naysayer, so I'll jump to the front of the line.

The show's magic is entirely theatrical. We, the live audience, collectively eavesdrop, via a daring, fully immersive conceit: we're in the actual space where the action occurs. We suspend disbelief that ghosts walk among the players, the thrill in the collapse of time and shared stage of past and present, that Proustian prism. But movies create such illusions easily -- our gasps would be about FX and edits -- and a party before a theater is razed isn't inherently cinematic if you're not a guest. Follies works because we are invited, too. The film may be a beautiful idea -- daring because it's non-linear -- but remember Nine's issues? What was stylized in theater played like people singing to a camera in music videos. The minute Follies becomes concert-like, drawing attention to what the camera enhances, it loses its ability to solicit that eavesdropping element. That said, I'll be there the opening day."

I agree with your general comments, but Nine is a terrible example because it bore absolutely no resemblance ot the stage show, and Marshall lazily replicated his concept for Chicago to present the numbers in a limbo state in the director's mind. So we don't really know how a faithful version of Nine would have played as cinema. 

I'm kinda surprised people are taking this news so seriously as if it's a green-lit, in-preproduction thing. Right now, it's just talk. 

Updated On: 2/11/24 at 10:30 PM

[joevitus]

Posted: 2/10/24 at 10:31pm

Georgeanddot2 said: "Ti West's obsession with nostalgiabation cinema makes him the wrong director for a film about the danger of nostalgia and living in the past."

Or the perfect one.

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 2/11/24 at 10:55pm

joevitus said: "Georgeanddot2 said: "Ti West's obsession with nostalgiabation cinema makes him the wrong director for a film about the danger of nostalgia and living in the past."

Or the perfect one."

Well I think he's also just not a good enough director for this material (I would argue that he's actually a very bad director). As an artist, I don't think he's... a very deep thinker.

[Robert McDonald]

Posted: 2/13/24 at 3:56am

While trying to research this, I stumbled upon this website instead:

https://www.mycast.io/stories/follies

Some of these casting choices really crack me up, although I gotta admit, the idea of Whoopi Goldberg as Carlotta is quickly growing on me.

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 2/13/24 at 4:32am

"actively developing" lol

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 2/13/24 at 12:56pm

carnzee said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "Phyllis and Sally are about 48-49 in FOLLIES. It’s mentioned in the book. "

No it isn't."

I know I’m responding to a 3 year old post and I’m probably preaching to the choir. But for the record, it most certainly is stated that they are 49. They talk about how they were 19 when they were all together last 30 years prior and Sally explicitly says, “I’m 49 years old.” Now a movie could always change it to say they were in their 20s or something more vague at the time they were a foursome, but the book for the stage musical very clearly places them at 49.

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 2/13/24 at 4:22pm

Apparently Leslie Manville is a trained classical soprano so she's now my choice for Sally.  One of our greatest living actresses.

I do think they should cast older. I think people just looked older in 71 (all the booze, cigarettes, and lead).  I think actors in their 80's are much too old however. I think mid-60's is the age cap.

I think Spielberg directed the f*ck out of West Side Story and I do think the material would be a good choice for him. He's also probably the only director who could get the budget that this would require.  And the book probably needs work, so Kushner could fix it up a bit.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 2/13/24 at 4:36pm

15 years ago, Meryl would've been perfect.

[Robert McDonald]

Posted: 2/13/24 at 6:21pm

rattleNwoolypenguin said: "15 years ago, Meryl would've been perfect."

She could still make a great Carlotta. I’d love to hear her take on I’m Still Here.

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 2/13/24 at 10:18pm

I think people always talk about Meryl as a Sally, but I think she's more of a Phyllis.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 2/14/24 at 2:35pm

Georgeanddot2 said: "I think Spielberg directed the f*ck out of West Side Story and I do think the material would be a good choice for him. He's also probably the only director who could get the budget that this would require. And the book probably needs work, so Kushner could fix it up a bit."

Spielberg has said that West Side Story will be the only musical he'll ever direct. Although he is interested in making more as producer only.
https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/steven-spielberg-done-directing-musicals-west-side-story-1234709691/