Jennifer Hudson as Wicked Movie's Elphaba — Page 4

And just because you think that Les Miserables will make Samantha Barks a huge mega-star doesn't automatically mean that is going to happen either.

Oh, but of course it will. That is if Les Miserables becomes a big hit. Eponine is a great character who sings one of the most memorable songs in the musical. If Samantha does a good job, then she'll get some recognition. It sure worked for Jennifer Hudson.

As for Emmy Rossum, Phantom DID make her into a star, but her biggest mistakes were rejecting some amazing movie offers, releasing an album that flopped, and even took a whole year off for no reason but to relax at the beach. The girl just made some terrible, terrible career choices. Her show, Shameless, is doing really well though.

Phantom did not make Emmy famous to anyone who didn't see the movie. It never reached higher than 4th on the box office charts. It was a financial disappointment in the US, while doing better over seas. For those of us that do know her for that movie, most of us were horribly disappointed by her poor performance which is the likely result of piss poor direction by Joel "I Killed Batman" Schumacher. Taking the role in Phantom may have done more harm than good. Fortunately, she disappeared long enough for people to forget about that performance. Now she is doing quite well.

While I do enjoy Samantha Barks, we have no idea how this film will do outside of the theatre community. We have no idea how the live singing will go over. We have no idea how well Sam can act on screen in a film, which is quite different than acting on stage or in a televised concert. She could do quite well, she may even be amazing, but right now we have zero way of knowing.

Anna Kendrick has a very recognizable face. She has been in a number of popular movies. Her acting is critically acclaimed and has been nominated for multiple awards. She has several upcoming projects that many are keeping their eyes on. She can sing quite well. Oh, and she is cute and quirky. If she were to try for the role, she would have a much better chance at getting it than Samantha Barks. At the same time though, Sam beat the very popular Taylor Swift for the role of Eponine, so anything can happen.

There's nothing pop nor sweet about this

There is no way Les Mis is a "guaranteed hit." It is a HUGE gamble and unlike Wicked, it does not appeal to a large audience. I know Les Mis is a popular show, but I'm not sure it's all that appealing to the masses. I know a lot of people think it is a boring piece to begin with.

I have no idea whether Anna Kendrick would be in the running for the film, whether she would want to play Elphaba, or whether she'd be good in the part. She can act and she can sing, certainly well enough to play it. She's a little short physically, though, clocking in at just five feet. That can be cheated to a degree on camera, but it's hard to be menacing at such a petite size without a lot of "cinematic" help. (Yes, Margaret Hamilton was just 5'1", opposite a 4'11" Judy Garland, so it can be done depending on the height of the entire cast.) Anna also still reads very young and could play a late teen if she wanted to (not that she does). I hope they don't cast the leads in Wicked too young. That would be a mistake, I think.

But the perception that Anna has "peaked" or that she's not well known or sought-after in Hollywood is way off. The fact that you haven't ever heard of her before says more about your awareness than it does about her budding career.

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Updated On: 7/30/12 at 02:13 PM

Jules, I will always think of that scene when I see Anna Kendrick. RISE!

Hold it. I've got a few questions from page one: (1) Why does anyone think Sutton Foster doesn't have the lung power to perform this role? (2) Why does anyone think Samantha Barks DOES have the lung power to perform it?

I doubt that Samantha Barks will get a fame boost from the Les Mis movie. But Sutton is definitely getting more recognition from her TV show even if I can't understand why anyone watches it. I just can't believe that Samantha Barks would be more likely or more deserving to get the movie role than Sutton Foster.

Yes, I loved her Ladies who Lunch. BroadwayStar4, you have to be able to make google work for you in order to find this stuff. Her voice can be far from sweet and pop-ish, and Camp was made a decade ago.

James885 and finebydesign, I said that it seems like a guaranteed hit. Notice the key word there. I'm not psychic, so I can't be sure if it will be successful or not. But in my opinion, with the way things are looking for the Les Mis movie, I wouldn't be surprised if it does become a big hit.

JulesReverie, I already saw that video and I'm not impressed. Camp was back in 2003, so her voice sounds young. In the Pitch Perfect trailer, she still sounds young, but now it seems like she has taken singing lessons for pop music rather than for Broadway. I agree with somebody here who said that she might be too short for the role, which could be a problem. Especially if they choose a tall actress to play Glinda.

The fact that you haven't ever heard of her before says more about your awareness than it does about her budding career.

Listen, I read a ton of fashion/celebrity magazines, read gossip sites/blogs, and watch E! News every day. And I never knew who Anna Kendrick was. Just recently I asked a few of my friends and family members who she is, to see if I'm really alone on this, and they all said "No", except for my cousin who is obsessed with Twilight. Let's be real, she's an "up and coming" celebrity, not some mega-famous superstar that you all make her out to be. I do admit that her face was familiar to me, but I bet half the people in America wouldn't know her by name.

I am curious, what about this movie seems like a guaranteed hit to you? Sure we are all excited about it here, but we are a small fraction of the movie going public. The pictures and trailer do look great, and make this look like it will be a well crafted film, but many well crafted films do not perform well at the box office. The cast has many big names, but so did Rock of Ages, and that tanked. It is based on a mega hit musical, but so was Rent, Phantom, and The Producers, none of which were hits. So really, what about this screams possible hit to you this early in the game?

jimmycurry01, what more can I say? I already said "it seems like the Les Mis movie will be a guaranteed hit. The teaser has gotten a positive response, it's directed by an Oscar winning director, the film contains a ton of talented celebrities, and it's a big budget movie based on one of the greatest musicals of all time."

Those are really the main reasons why I think it could possibly be a big hit. I am fully aware that not all movies succeeds well at the box office, I know that. But that is why I specifically said that I'm not psychic, because I'm not 100% certain if it will do well or not. In my opinion, it seems like it's the first movie musical in a long time that actually looks "Oscar-worthy". The fact that people are already predicting Anne Hathaway would be nominated/win an Academy Award for this role says something.

P.S. a Rock of Ages movie was already doomed from the start. There's no way that a movie with 80's rock music is gonna please the general audience of this generation.

Mister Matt, her success in Up in the Air is really the highest point in her career, and she hasn't done anything outstanding since then. But she still has upcoming movies that might do well, so that's why she's "up and coming".

It's a possibility that Samantha would be considered to play Elphaba, if Les Mis movie does well. I mean, why not? She looks the part, she's the right age and can sing really well. But for Anna, she's too short and her voice seems a little juvenile for the role.

I think if they recreate the book for the screen, it could prove to be a hit. Especially if they took a more darker and serious tone.