Eric, touche! But at least he didn't eat Little Red out.
And yes, most people know who Bernadette Peters is, but that doesn't mean she can headline a multi-million dollar film. Catherine Zeta-Jones is an Oscar winner, and even she hasn't been able to open a movie in years. There is a reason Streep was the first piece of casting announced, she's a huge box office star, her films tend to triple their budget most of the time, and many producers have said that when you get her to be involved then the other stars become interested. Phyllida Lloyd said that before they secured her for MAMMA MIA, none of the actors or the creative team wanted to be involved, then she said yes to it and all of the sudden everyone wanted to be a part of it. Of course, MAMMA MIA is not INTO THE WOODS, but I believe Disney made the right decision from both a business and a creative perspective.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"