Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
Obviously this is just rumored and these postings change overnight.
Meryl Streep as the witch
Allison Janney as Jack's Mother
Not my choices, but oh well!
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STREEP DOES NOT HAVE THE VOICE FOR THIS ROLE!
Edit 2 years later - I was DEAD WRONG!
Updated On: 12/29/14 at 12:17 AM
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
"STREEP DOES NOT HAVE THE VOICE FOR THIS ROLE!"
Nor the beauty. The witch has to turn into a beauty. I wanted Catherine Zeta-Jones.
And I don't know if it could have happened, but Susan Boyle as Jack's mother would have been interesting.
But they are just rumored and often imdb changes. I remember a few years ago they had Judi Dench rumored for five movies in a row.
Streep is my favorite actress (cliched, I know) and she'd be great (I doubt there's much truth to this rumor...yet) but I wanted an unexpected choice, she's a little too obvious. Glenn Close would have been perfect if they were going for an older actress, she can be scary, funny and emotional, though it might have been a "been there, done that" kind of role for her. Helen Mirren in a musical would be awesome too, especially as the Witch, given how sexy she is. With the younger actresses, Toni Collette is as good a choice as they'll find, but Marshall is such a star-F*CKer that he would probably only consider Collette (who has never quite become as big of a star as she should be, say the way Laura Linney became) for like the Stepmother just because she's not an Oscar winner, and her name isn't Kate Hudson.
Janney on the other hand would be perfection as Jack's Mother. Janney was in the recent reading, so if she is in fact in the movie it gives me hope for Anna Kendrick (who played Cinderella) to get cast.
Has this been officially announced yet? It would be nice if it were true, but I just feel like the deal hasn't been finalized yet.
I'm all for huge movie stars but for the love of God, DUB THEM.
I don't think it's hard to get someone listed on IMDb as rumored, so I wouldn't turn to that page for a strong source.
The Witch should be Zeta-Jones, without a doubt.
lull89 needs to change their screen name. I look fast and aways think it's ljay.
I wouldn't mind seeing Streep in this. Hell, I would love it.
This may be a "ignorant" question but after listening to the score of "Into the Woods" countless times, what makes the Witch's part difficult to sing? I mean, Sondheim's music is tough to navigate but in terms of RANGE (high ones/low ones) it doesn't seem too difficult to sing. Maybe that is just me. I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to "Into the Woods" specifically.
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/8/12
It never ceases to amaze me how many of you think this is going to be a filmed version of the stage play. That's already been done -- the DVD is available on Amazon ($15.21).
This will be a big budget film (one of the reasons Disney & Warner Bros. are splitting the cost) with an all-star cast, lots of CGI special effects (do you really think they are going to have an actor in a Wolf costume?), filmed in 3D with a new screenplay, new music arrangements, new choreography, etc.
It's a MOVIE not a stage musical!!!!
Updated On: 12/18/12 at 09:18 AM
Understudy Joined: 2/6/12
"Nor the beauty. The witch has to turn into a beauty. I wanted Catherine Zeta-Jones."
Omg CZJ Would be amazing. & i dont think she will need the beauty because it is going to be a Disney movie so it may be a cartoon or a movie(like tangled)
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/8/12
James Lapine has already turned in his final draft of the screenplay. You can bet your arse that Rob Marshall has ghostwriters on the payroll to tinker with the screenplay. That is the way it is done in the film business (especially on big budget films).
Are they wanting this to be animated or more in the realm of Burton's Alice in Wonderland or the upcoming Oz: Great/Powerful where it's live-action with visual effects?
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/8/12
It will be live action with many, many visual effects (I wouldn't be surprised if the Witch is visually something similar to the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland). And yes, it will be filmed in 3-D.
Updated On: 12/18/12 at 10:47 AM
"STREEP DOES NOT HAVE THE VOICE FOR THIS ROLE!"
Ok, but that's not how movies get made.
I actually think Streep might be able to pull off the vocals. If it's too high, they can always use the Vanessa Williams keys, which are, sometimes, very effective. I'm not too worried about the demands of the score. I could see her playing it like a mix of Madeline from Death Becomes Her and Miranda from The Devil Wears Prada and that would be just fine with me.
"I could see her playing it like a mix of Madeline from Death Becomes Her and Miranda from The Devil Wears Prada and that would be just fine with me."
See, for me, that's the problem. She's got so many 'stock' characters to 'mix and match' that I fear what we'd get is a hodgepodge of past roles she's played, not an original character. And I am in the camp that detests her singing voice.
Normally I'm the guy who wails and gnashes teeth if a non-singer is a given a role beyond their talents, especially when it comes to mainstream (read: film) adaptations of musicals, but I'm not upset at all about the possibility of a Meryl Streep Witch. She's not a terrible singer, and the Witch doesn't have to have a beautiful voice-she just has to carry Children Will Listen and can act through the rest of her numbers. Also, though Meryl does have a bit of Streepy-ness (read: sameness) in most of her performances, I think those qualities would actually work quite well for the Witch.
Also I like Janney in just about everything she's ever done, even if news of her initial casting sometimes makes me wrinkle my nose and let out an exasperated "really?".
Understudy Joined: 6/16/12
I like the idea of Meryl as the Witch but I have another interesting possibility, Jane Lynch. I've heard her on Glee and she definitely can sing at least enough for that part. She also is very good at that kind of character, acting-wise.
I also would want Carly Rose Sonenclar as Little Red Riding Hood. If you've seen her on X-Factor, you know she has the talent to pull off that part vocally and if you know her from The Electric Company like I do, you know she is also a very good actress.
My last idea is Matthew Broderick as the Baker. I don't know why but he's played that kind of role before and he just seemed right.
Until a movie starts filming or comes close to it IMDB is not reliable as it's editable by anyone with a Pro account.
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/13/09
"I like the idea of Meryl as the Witch but I have another interesting possibility, Jane Lynch. I've heard her on Glee and she definitely can sing at least enough for that part. She also is very good at that kind of character, acting-wise."
I know beauty can be subjective, but there is no way I could ever believe that Jane Lynch has that post-transformation beauty that audiences would want to see.
Lynch also doesn't have the sophisticated air that is usually associated with the Witch. She'd have made a great Baker's Wife some years ago.
Ewan McGregor should play the Baker and I could see him getting cast in this movie too. A comedian like Jim Carrey might also be interesting. I just want to hear an actual confirmation of who'll be in this, wonder if they've even started casting.
Im surprising myself by saying this.... but... id quite like to see James Corden continue in the role of the Baker. The part he played in the read throughs. He can play that humble, non assuming type really well and i think he could make it a very emotional journey. He can sing too,
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