Mamma Mia movie is a Go with Hanks' Playtone

[JBSinger]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 8:38am

Just read this in the NYTimes website. Hopefull the link will work.
I wonder who they'll cast? Hopefully, not a bunch of pop singers.
NYTimes Playtone-Mamma Mia deal

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 8:56am

Olivia Newton-John!!!

(I know, I keep saying that. Maybe the gods above will hear me, if I repeat it often enough.)

[bare_nakedlady]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 10:36am

I'm with you B12B. I love ONJ soooooo much! She would be fantastic!

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 10:49am

Ulgh.

(A MM movie, not Olivia).

[LouieLovesTheater]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 10:52am

Olivia would be PER-fect for this role. Here's hoping if she doesn't land the movie that she takes over in London or NYC sometime soon.

[Pippin]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 10:55am

I'm somehow imagining Rita Wilson as one of the leads.....


hhmmmm....

[AshleyBrownFan123]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 10:59am

NICOLE KIDMAN AS DONNA!!!!!! YEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!

[jimnysf]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 11:29am

Olivia is the perfect choice!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 11:32am

As much as I would Love to see ONJ in the role of Donna, I think there is way to much coincidence between Rita Wilson making her broadway debut and Tom Hanks obtaining the film rights to Mama Mia.

[SweMozArt]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 11:58am

I believe that the movie script of Mamma Mia has to be a lot funnier than the musical script for it to work as a movie. One way would be to make the backgrounds of the potential fathers more exciting. One of the fathers could for instance be a billionaire. Another one could be an escaped convict or perhaps on parole. Potential actors would be Steve Martin, Antionio Banderas and Tom Hanks. The mothers background could also be glamourized a bit.

One possible twist on the story which i have suggested in abba forums (not that i am an abba nut) would be to reveal in the end that the real father was an old fisherman in the village (think old man and the sea). This fisherman could for instance be played by Sean Connery. One option would be to reveal or suggest his fathership only to the viewers in the end of the movie and not to sophie.
Updated On: 8/2/06 at 11:58 AM

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 12:01pm

ONJ would never get cast at this juncture of her career. She is not a box-office draw, nor does she generate interest other than from her hard-core fans.

Think more along the lines of Michelle Pfeiffer, Rosie O'Donnell, Susan Sarandon or Cher. Film studios would rather cast big name female leads who can't sing or can just carry a tune rather than an actress who can sing.

For the record, I adore ONJ-I just dont think she's in serious contention for any film roles.

Updated On: 8/2/06 at 12:01 PM

[jimnysf]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 12:17pm

Check out the film "Buona Sera Mrs. Campbell" for some back story ideas.

Gina Lollobrigida delivers a bright comic turn in Melvin Frank's farce concerning Carla, an Italian woman who, during World War II, had affairs with three American soldiers who served in the U.S. Army Air Force -- Phil Newman (Phil Silvers), Justin Young (Peter Lawford), and Walter Braddock (Telly Savalas). Finding that she is pregnant after the squadron is transferred, she convinces each of the three soldiers that he is the father of her child. Phil, Justin, and Walter react to Carla's pregnancy by sending her child-support checks -- checks that Carla has been receiving every month from each of them for the past 20 years. Meanwhile, in order to save face in her village, Carla concocted the story that the father was the fictitious Captain Eddie Campbell, who was killed in action. But Carla's deceptions are about to be exposed when she finds out that all three soldiers are returning to her village with their wives and children for a reunion of the squadron. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

[SweMozArt]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 12:23pm

Yeah i have read some reviews of Mamma Mia which mentioned the similarities with that movie. One critic suggested that the reason why the musical wasn't set in italy was because the similarities would have been to obvious. An argument for greece is though that the song "I have a dream" sounds very greek in style.

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 12:40pm

That's great news !!! And can I please pray that they actually shoot a movie with Greek background in GREECE for a change ???
Though I am hopeful, with Rita's Greek heritage !

[MadelineKahnFan]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 1:02pm

Cyndi Lauper is the only one to play Donna in my book. The much needed boost she needs to make her a superstar once again.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 1:05pm

I really don't think this is going to work. I just don't see it playing out on film as well as it does on stage. Maybe with a very talented director. I just don't want to see it crash and burn. It should be a guaranteed hit with the success of all its various companies.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 1:58pm

This is a career-ending film if ever there was one. It's an uninspired plot with a horrendous book...no amoount of script-doctoring can make this good.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 6:04pm

"Olivia is the perfect choice!"

jimnysf- I couldn't agree more. And what about Farrah Fawcett or Suzanne Somers for the role of Tanya?

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 6:18pm

Olivia would be great I'm just excited that it's going to be done and with Tom Hank and most likely Rita Wilson behind it.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 6:20pm

What about Rozanne Barr as Rosie?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 6:25pm

"Check out the film "Buona Sera Mrs. Campbell" for some back story ideas."

And the Broadway musical Carmelina. How often does this story need to be used?

[jimnysf]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 6:31pm

Olivia ....Interesting Article in today's San Francisco Weekly

http://www.sfweekly.com/Issues/2006-08-02/news/suckafreecity3.html

We all have dirty little secrets. Here's one of mine: I know every word to every song on Xanadu by Olivia Newton-John. You might think it wouldn't be easy being an Olivia fan in San Francisco, where retro is only cool if it's ironic. But in truth this town is home to a quiet little underground of ONJ-lovers.

One member of that underground is my friend Joel, with whom I went to see Olivia (as all her fans call her) at Davies Symphony Hall in October 2003. Joel is a true devotee: He joined her international fan club to get better seats at shows, visits her fan site (www.onlyolivia.com) about once a week, and goes to see her every year. He even brought a fantastic gift to the concert we attended — a roller skate (à la Xanadu) covered with a legwarmer (à la Physical) and filled with an exuberant bouquet. During one song he walked up the aisle, placed the skate on the low stage, and handed Olivia the attached leash. Her expression of surprise and delight was clear, but Joel's thrill was priceless.

I first got into Olivia when I saw Grease in the theater when I was 10. Of course I'd heard "Have You Never Been Mellow" years before, but this was the first time I'd seen her. She was stunning: that blonde, smiling wholesomeness with an undercurrent of sexiness. Then Xanadu hit two years later, and I was wowed. The movie was universally panned, but the soundtrack (with ELO) was brilliant.

Last month, when the planners of Dolores Park Movie Night — the free monthly outdoor screenings — were trying to decide whether to show Grease or Xanadu in August, they polled the audience at their screening of Caddyshack. The response was overwhelming: It had to be Xanadu.

A couple of friends of Joel's, also huge Olivia fans, agreed with the choice. Matthew explained that Xanadu would draw a gayer crowd, perfect for such a camp movie. Nico was even surer: "Definitely Xanadu," he said, "because it is just a train wreck."

Like Joel, Matthew and Nico go to lots of Olivia shows. Nico keeps a fan book with tour programs and ticket stubs, but Matthew is a little worried about being "outed" as an ONJ fan. "You're not going to make us look like dorks, are you?" he asked worriedly.

The thing is, to me there's nothing dorky about being an Olivia fan. She's still beautiful, she still has a clear voice, and she still carries that anachronistic mix of earthiness and perk. I won't be seeing her when she plays the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa on Aug. 3, nor at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga on Aug. 10, and I'll miss her on Aug. 11, too, when Joel, Matthew, and Nico will all see her in Tahoe. But I have to believe she is magic. Because, you know, she kinda is.