In The Heights/ Wicked Movie soon to a Cinema Near You- Page 4

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 2:18am

Like I said, Nina is supposed to be 19 at the most. Christina Aguilera does not look 19 nor could she pass for 19. Ferrara is the only Latina actress who is recognizable and could act the role--probably couldn't sing it though. Oscar nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno might be able to pass for 19 too (she's pushing 30 though), but can she play Puerto Rican? Can she sing? Who knows?
Overall, I really don't think the show should be turned into a film. I wonder which songs will be cut. Definitely they will have to do away with the recitative (and not turn it into dialogue directly like they did with the awful RENT) in "Blackout," "Champagne," etc. "Inutil" and "Enough" will probably be goners as well.

[Bobby Maler]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 2:40am

I agree with RaynAllThatJazz. I just don't think it will be that successful a movie. First of all, no one is familiar with the brand name. The musical hasn't become enough of a world wide phenom like Mamma Mia or a classic like Chicago. Secondly, while we may appreciate the rap and latino infused score as modernizing musical theatre music, it's still musical theatre music. Those who are in to real rap and hip hop will still find it cheesy.

However, I do hope they give Hudes an opportunity to expand the book and flesh out the relationships more. She did some great (very different, almost poetic) work in A Soldier's Fugue and showed that she could write deep characters with real emotion. The book as it is on Broadway would be disastrous in a movie.

[JP2]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 2:05pm

Keith Robinson would make a great Benny.

[EverythingIsRENT]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 2:27pm

What if America lip synched to Christina's voice? A girl can dream....but I see Christina as more of a Vanessa anyway, and I would KILL to hear her belt It Won't Be Long Now!

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 2:32pm

I think Vanessa's the same age as Nina, isn't she?

What about Alexis Bledel (sp?) or Joanna Garcia? I dunno if either can sing, though.

[NGD2225]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 2:46pm

I REALLY hope they don't cut Blackout. I wonder if they will film it in Washington Heights. Updated On: 11/8/08 at 02:46 PM

[JP2]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 2:47pm

That would be a shame if they did.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 2:48pm

They'll scale it down, unfortunately.
Inutil will get cut, as it stops the entire show dead. I think they have the sense to keep in "Champagne", though. I think the movie could definitely do without "Carnaval del Barrio", as most of THAT can be turned into dialogue.

[NGD2225]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 2:54pm

If J-Lo is going to play Daniella, "Carnaval del Barrio" won't get cut.

[JP2]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 2:55pm

I'd be very upset if Carnaval del Barrio was cut.

I can live with out Inutil and Enough

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 3:08pm

"Carnaval del Barrio" is one of the best numbers in the show, on film it'd work really well if you combined dialogue (and do away with the recitative) with the chorus and the "alza la bandera" section.
I'm not sure that Vanessa is the same age as Nina. I always saw her as older, but even if she isn't, they could still change her age and the storyline wouldn't be affected at all. Nina has the specific arc about her leaving to college right after finishing high school, and now she is returning home after being a year away. If she graduated at 17-18, she is 18-19 during the show's storyline. I read Vanessa as being closer to Usnavi's age.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 3:16pm

I love CdB too, but I can't picture it on film.

ray, Nina and Vanessa are supposed to be the same age. This explains why they're so close and why Vanessa's so jealous of her "getting out".

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 3:35pm

That makes sense, but I still think Vanessa's age could be easily changed for the film whereas Nina's is part of the storyline.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 3:40pm

Nina could feasibly be 20 or even 21. She have been held back a year in school or "took a year off" before Stanford.

[NGD2225]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 3:43pm

I don't know if someone who was held back a year would be going to Stanford.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 3:46pm

I highly doubt Nina took a year off, so I would agree that she has to be 19. That's a good point that Vanessa could be older.

[Weez]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 4:00pm

Behold! A handy link. :)

http://www.campbroadway.com/stagenotes/InTheHeights_StageNotes.pdf

Nina and Vanessa are both 19. Usnavi and Benny are 24, Graffiti Pete is 18, and I got bored waiting for the .pdf to fully load before scrolling down to Sonny (who is 15 iirc). Everyone else is "in their ??ies".

[JP2]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 4:21pm

Well, if Sonny is 15 then I'm going to go right ahead and throw Mark Indelicato into the casting bowl!

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 11/9/08 at 11:29am

I would like to start a campaign to keep from Rosario Dawson starring in any movie, much less another musical, ever again.

Also? It's a real shame that pretty much all the latin stars in Hollywood are already too old to play any of the main roles.

That said, I do think the show has real potential to be trimmed down to feature length without compromising the story - in fact, I think some of the off-Broadway dialogue would work in the film version.

Updated On: 11/9/08 at 11:29 AM

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 11/9/08 at 12:14pm

I'll join that campaign, everythingtaboo

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 11/9/08 at 12:24pm

Who said Rosario as Mimi,

the girl CAN NOT belt!

[JP2]

Posted: 11/9/08 at 3:01pm

Pft, Rosario is amazing.

[carolineorchange]

Posted: 11/10/08 at 12:37am

Jimmy Smidt should be the father.

Rosie Perez and Ana Ortiz as Daniella and Carla would be amazing.

And while I don't agree with Zac Efron or Corbin Bleu I think Vanessa Hudgens as Nina would be cool, paired up with Chris Brown as Benny? Yeah? No?

[JP2]

Posted: 11/10/08 at 12:43am

Hahaha... haha... ha..

[toanythingtaboo 2]

Posted: 11/10/08 at 9:11am

I actually think, if they go with younger stars, Chris Brown would work as Benny.

Excellent dancer, good singing/rapping.

Va(g)nessa Hudgens is far too young/poor a singer/no star quality to be in the film. Corbin Bleu is a good triple threat, but totally not right for Benny...as for Zac Efron, he owns the teeny bopper musical leading man these days, so he should stick to that.

Another name (although I can't remember it just now) to throw in the mix, Carla from Scrubs? She has a really nice singing voice.

Too old for Vanessa/Nina...but Carla?