Marshall in contention for WICKED film- Page 2

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 8:02am

SNAFU, Depp will want to play Glinda so he can stretch himself...

Marshall should do it. God knows we are going to need HEAVY editing to keep 3/4ths of the musical numbers interesting.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 8:31am

I hate when people write Galinda. I know that's her name in the stupid book/musical, but she'll always be just Glinda to me.

Updated On: 7/10/10 at 08:31 AM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 8:42am

Well as I've said before, the "Ga" is silent so her name really is just Linda.

[lotiloti]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 8:45am

Give it to Ken Russell. He needs a swansong!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 8:49am

I'd like to see what Tarantino or Robert Rodriguez would do with it.

[ObiHave]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 9:28am

Let John Waters do it or Rob Zombie.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 9:46am

Waters has said WICKED is too trashy even for him.

[ObiHave]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 9:49am

Ouch!

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 9:56am

Yeah... what happened to Baz Luhrman? It was officially confirmation some time ago that he was the director attached to the film-version of WICKED, whenever it got the okay from Universal Pictures to begin production.

Rob Marshall can learn from his last mistake and go back to the traditional movie musical format and film WICKED like a traditional musical. Heck, it worked for HAIRSPRAY and SWEENEY TODD and the success of his ABC TV Movie version of ANNIE is what initially gave him his start as a film director.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 10:37am

If Marshall changed his attitude about what the musical needs to be on film and was provided with a good script (unlike that atrocity known as NINE) I'd like to see what he would do with WICKED. I think he's a very talented director who just happens to have his head up his ass.

[Edna Turnblad]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 10:44am

My thoughts were: 1. Marshall who?
2. Rob Marshall?
3. No.

Granted, as you all have said, he has done other work that didn't use the "It's all in me 'ead" idea, but his last to musicals have been that way. He needs to go the traditional route with Wicked, when it ever gets made, have them actually sing it in real life. The movie wouldn't work otherwise.
Also, the musical work before it could be a mildly good movie. (Like cut "Something Bad", "A Sentimental Man"; and they need to make it make more sense why SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!! Fiyero is the Scarecrow. It never made much sense.)

Back on topic...

[Brick]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 12:04pm

Who else is in contention?

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 12:30pm

I feel that Rob Marshall would be ok with allowing the characters in Wicked to come right out and sing without a framing device. The fact that it's already set in a fantasy land is framing device enough.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 12:57pm

I love that just because Rob Marshall did one bad movie, he's all of the sudden the worst director ever and completely unable to direct a movie musical.
I don't think he is particularly right for this movie just because I'd like to see this go to someone who has worked with special effects but has managed to get at the heart of an emotional story. I can't say that Rob Marshall is particularly good at dealing with emotions, he has a more cynical, darker and razzle-dazzle approach that wouldn't fit WICKED.
Ryan Murphy is a terrible director, RUNNING WITH SCISSORS is one of the worst movies I've seen in my life and his work in GLEE while funny and inventive at times can get real sappy real fast. I'd hate to see how much focus he gives to the "school" part of it while being completely unable to deal with the adult portion of the story.
JJ Abrams is quite an odd choice, but I think he's a great director and would be curious to see what he does.
I'm with Besty, Peter Jackson would be my number one choice (though I'm curious why everyone isn't hating on him after making the travesty that THE LOVELY BONES was, a much more terrible movie than NINE).

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 1:08pm

Ray, it's more the fact that Marshall has said numerous times that character in movie musicals can't just come out and sing, they can only do it in their imagination because it's not believable any other way.

[Actor2]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 1:09pm

Anybody think they'd want to wait many years until ticket sales start to dwindle? Or just pull a Mamma Mia! knowing it won't affect it?

[Edna Turnblad]

Posted: 7/10/10 at 1:21pm

If they wait for tickets to plummet, they'll be waiting a long time. Give it three or four years and they'll decide to go ahead with it.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/11/10 at 5:14am

I don't think any film director, including Marshall, will try to approach this material in a realistic manner, ala Nine, Dreamgirls, or Chicago, and get all worried about the believability of the songs as they evolve organically in context.

This isn't a realistic setting to begin with. It's Oz, for crap's sake.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 7/11/10 at 5:32am

JJ Abrams sound like the riskiest of the choices...but possibly the best choice.

For those talking about it happening in "Elphaba's head," for what it's worth I thought I'd point out that the book (and the musical, to a smaller extent) provides whoever directs the film with a great device: the traveling puppet show with the dragon set. Seems like Marshall would jump on that option in an instant.

[xdollymixx]

Posted: 7/11/10 at 6:16am

I was think maybe Tim Burton ? I know his films are an aquired taste, but wicked is kind of gothic and he could but i twist on it.

[Disneyland Magic Man]

Posted: 7/11/10 at 6:53am

Honestly, I'd like to see Rob direct Wicked as a movie. I don't think Wicked the music would translate to film well enough. The novel is very popular, as is the musical. But a big budget Hollywood movie is not only going to have to appease the SMALL musical theater community, but also the larger community that is fans of the novel.

And Universal Pictures doesn't have a good track record of keeping their stage musicals true when taken to the screen. Did anyone see Whorehouse? I love the novel and I love the stage show separately... but honestly, when I've thought of the piece as a movie, I've seen it more along the lines of the quite brilliant novel. "No One Mourns The Wicked" as a montage over the credits showing a brief glimpse into the amazingly odd childhood of Elphaba that is sooo amazingly shown in the novel and not addressed in the musical, and less musical numbers... or more streamlined ones in the film as well.

I feel like Boq would take his rightful position as Elphaba's ali and friend in the film because his character is very watered down in the musical and in a film, smaller characters will need more development... his has plenty to take from in the novel.

I don't know if Rob Marshall is the "best" choice... but I think if Wicked's going to work on the big screen, it's going to take someone with the balls to pick and choose from both mediums to create an amazing film that will appease both audiences. Let's face it, the Broadway community doesn't foster a blockbuster film audience. If so, Phantom and Rent should have been financial treasures.

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 7/11/10 at 7:56am

I don't know why Universal's even bothering. It's a Broadway musical, always has been and always will be, just leave it be and don't tamper with the reputation it's built for itself

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/11/10 at 8:06am

Wicked is an epic story (as written in the musical), and they need an epic director to tackle it.

They need to bring in the "Lord of the Rings" crowd into the movie theatres. It should be heavy with effects and a large-scale CGI Land of Oz, with impressive locations, plenty of eye-candy, and as much "action" scenes as they can depict (flying monkeys, a flying witch, minions of soldiers and "townsfolk" hunting for Elphaba with torches and pitchforks, etc.).

If they just make it "High School Musical" Shiz-style, with green faces and pink dresses, it will fail, big time.

[HBP]

Posted: 7/11/10 at 1:28pm

This would be way out of Rob Marshall's territory, so I can't really say how well he'd do with it. I will be very upset, though, if they really go with Baz Luhrmann. His films never cease to give me a headache.

I'm rooting for an excellent director who has proven him/herself capable of handling something so epic by translating something smoothly to the screen. Peter Jackson would be incredible because he would turn it into its own, massive, meticulously created world. I'd love to see Alfonso Cuarón or Guillermo del Toro take the reigns, as well. I guess we'll find out, I just hope it's relatively soon. Updated On: 7/11/10 at 01:28 PM

[landryjames2]

Posted: 7/12/10 at 11:00am

Peter Jackson is my number one choice as well for all of Besty's reasons. But I can't say I don't like the idea of Baz Luhrman. I adore Moulin Rouge. (If Wicked had been made in the 1980's or even 90's, definitely Spielberg....)