MGM plans millions of movie-based musicals- Page 2

[ThePinballWizard]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 2:27am

....

why not "Brandi Burkhart aka The Mermaid: Frank Wildhorn Asked Me Out - The Musical"

Could you imagine who would play Linda Eder? I vote Barbara Cook.

[benjamin_barker]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 2:27am

Completely agree, Rentboy. And if David Hyde Pierce and Sarah Paulson reprised their roles, it would be even better!

[AnythingCanHappen]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 2:31am

how delightfully.... awkward.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 1:42pm

They haven't had a couple of flops yet. After that, the suits will think up some other way to make money - unless they are putting their own musicals into their own casino/resort/theaters.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 6:47pm

They haven't had a couple of flops yet.

Did "Scoundrels" recoup? And "Legally Blonde" is coming up real soon.

[alterego]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 7:05pm

PRISCILLA is already playing in Sydney and cast members were in Los Angeles this last week promoting the show for potential American investors. Just guessing but I think you can expect to see that in the U.S. in the not too distant future.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 7:41pm

WTF?!

This has to be some sort of joke.

Well, we all know all of those won't happen, if any.

No way they'd do "A Shot in the Dark: The Musical" and "The Pink Panther: The Musical."

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 7:37pm

"Moonstruck" is the only thing with potential I see on that list.

They workshopped it a few years ago with Idina Menzel in the Cher role. John Patrick Shanley (who won an Oscar for writing the film) directed it, and Henry Kreiger did the music. I heard great things about what they produced, but Menzel's schedule picked up and it got put on hold.

Other than that, I don't see anything worth seeing that they have in development.

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 7:57pm

i doubt mermaids because of the little mermaid opening this year

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 8:04pm

"Mermaids" has nothing to do with actual mermaids.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0100140/

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 8:05pm

i know that. But with the title of mermaids.....

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 8:06pm

Oh, I see what you mean. I can understand the confusion that would probably ensue.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 10:47pm

The Man in the Iron Mask could work with the right composer. but I don't understand why it would need to be based on the MGM film version...

[JustinRZB]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 10:56pm

I say bring on the movie musicals. The more there are of them, the less room for jukebox musicals!

[theaterdude]

Posted: 3/7/07 at 1:40pm

i think mgm has some great ideas for musicals...and i think mermaids would be awesome.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 3/7/07 at 1:46pm

RAIN MAN as a musical? That's...well...retarded. Actually MERMAIDS might work if they work out the kinks in the screenplay and make it more like the book. Which they won't. It could turn out more like THE RINK with zits.

Updated On: 3/7/07 at 01:46 PM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/7/07 at 2:03pm

Well...Marc Shaiman wrote the score for DOWN WITH LOVE -- and wrote a specialty number for the film with Scott Whitman called "Here's to Love" (performed in the end credits by Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger), so Scott and Marc can do the honors for a musical adaption.

Renee, Tony Randall and Sarah Paulson:

[withoutlovewithoutU]

Posted: 3/7/07 at 2:08pm

I love down with love. I could see it working.

[theaterdude]

Posted: 3/7/07 at 2:28pm

actually i heard that the workshops of mermaids have been really good and really funny...and really close to the book- so thats good, right?...i love the movie too though...i cant wait to see it...i heard its opening somewhere in california in may...

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 3/7/07 at 4:14pm

Down with love is begging to be a musical.

Moonstruck would also be good for someone like Guettel, I think it would suck as a traditional musical, or one of these hyped up pieces.

Rain Man would make a better opera.

Weekend at Bernie's is something I would LOOOOVE to see, and I definitely think it's a vehicle for someone like Yazbeck with his Jazz background, Im sure he could capture the cheesy 80s sound that is necessary.

Mermaids was a piece I didn't care for in the theaters, but many people did and I think it would make another good fun piece.

I think this is a great idea. And a good moneymaker. The money they shell out to their creative and crew is waaay cheaper than a hollywood stars salary, and when the ticket prices are $100 rather than $10, you only need a fraction of the audience you needed before, the competition is not as harsh, because MGM is the only copany making these shows this way. You're not amidst in a sea of other film studios anymore. Who do they have to compete with, the Weisslers and Disney? Disney can only do so much with their subject matter and Disney will always be Disney, it will always be family friendly, and that's actually a liability for some. I almost didn't see Mary Poppins, because Im pretty anti-disney and Im obviously not alone.

So they can handle the heavier subject matter with a huge budget behind them, and they have the big names of the source material. Even if the first two or three shows don't make it (and Im sure Priscilla and Legally Blond will do well) they still aren't taking such a huge bath.

I think it's a great idea. Hopefully they'll be good pieces, but I also hope the people with the big mouths (critics, chatterati, etc) don't do the injustice of closing their minds whilst opening their mouths.

[theaterdude]

Posted: 3/7/07 at 4:24pm

i agree with you. a closed mind and a big mouth is absolutely crappy.

[IssaMe]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 9:16am

Oh, yawn...through the decades, how many times have we heard announcements like this from various film companies.

They start these theatrical divisions with all kinds of grand ideas, and then they slowly disappear in time - even if they do mount one or two successful projects...all the major studios have tried this and only Disney has been really successful at it. MGM is such a shaky company lately to begin with - so who knows? But it's nothing to get all that excited over either way...pro or con.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 9:45am

"Platoon" is MGM/UA.

I'll wait for that one.

[Studmuffn520]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 2:23pm

moonstruck and mermaids?! yeaaaahhh! lmao
sorry im a cher fan =/

[theaterdude]

Posted: 3/8/07 at 2:47pm

thats what im talking about!I'm a cher fan too. does anyone know where mermaids is opening in california? i can't wait.lmao.