Movies that should NEVER be turned into Broadway musicals

[JulesReverie]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:05am

Here's my list

The Pirate Movie(do I have to explain? really)
The Princess Diaries(I see it happening)
Batman(or any other superhero movies in that matter)
Lelo & Stitch(disney movies are a list of their own, I could go on)
Braveheart(Gore, gore, gore, death, and dancing, I don't see another Les Miz here)
Forrest Gump(I can envision it having a ballad called "life's like a box of chocolates")
ET
King Kong
Star Wars(*imagines song and dance with lightsabers*)
Star Trek(kill me now)
Pirates of the Carribean(yoho yoho gets a little old after one verse)
Pretty Woman(I could really see this too)

That's all I could think of at the top of my head at the moment

[zoran912]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:11am

Well Spider-Man is already on the way. With Julie Taymor helming the project, I'm not too scared.

The first movie that popped into my mind was "Wedding Crashers." Then I looked down on the page and some poster was suggesting that it be turned into one! Funny how that works!

[nystateomind04]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:12am

The thing is, while I agree that they all seem like unlikely or in some cases trite candidates, all of them could work in the right syle, if handled in the correct manner. Well... maybe not Lilo & Stitck or Princess Diaries, because I'm sure that if they were made into musicals they would NOT be handled in the correct manner because... I guess you are right there, they just wouldn't work.

[jam_man]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:18am

The Untouchables - my all-time favorite (non-musical) movie. Al Capone, shooting, horseriding, blood, blood, blood. If they could stage it properly, I could MAYBE see it as an opera, though.

[Calvin]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:23am

"Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"

Well, actually, they already made that into a musical. It was a dreadful mistake.

[Jimmyojimmy]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:28am

I second Harry Potter

[nystateomind04]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:36am

Wedding Crashers with a David Yazbek score may just work.

[Hairspraydoll]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:39am

Usual Suspects
Old School
I second Princess Diaries and Star Wars
That Traveling Pants movie
The Godfather -please don't let anything ruin that!

[Plum]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:46am

Most noirish movies just don't translate to musicals in my head- their peculiar kind of dialogue doesn't seem right for singing. L.A. Confidential comes to mind as an example.

[jwsel]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:47am

On Pirates of the Carribean, have you ever actually read the lyrics to "Yo Ho"? Except for the last stanza, these don't exactly scream Disney and could be quite amusing with a full ensemble:

-------------

Yo ho, yo ho a pirates life for me

we pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.
we kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Yo ho yo ho, a pirate's life for me.

we extort, we pilfage, we filch and sack.
Drink up me 'earties yo ho
Maraude and embezzle and even hijack
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Yo ho, yo ho a pirate's life for me.

We kindle and char and flame and ignite
Drink up me 'earties yo ho.
We burn up the city, we're really afright
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho!

Yo ho, yo ho a pirate's life for me.

We're rascals, scoundrels, villans and naves
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.
We're devils and blacksheep and really bad eggs
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho!

Yo ho, yo ho a pirates life for me

We're beggars and blighters and ne'er do well cats
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho
I think we're loved by our mommies and dads.
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho!

-----------

Going back to the subject, I agree with Harry Potter because: (1) I don't see it being possible to fit the full story into a single show; (2) we've just had witches on Broadway in Wicked; and (3) too much emphasis would have to be placed on the effects (the "Quidditch Song" anyone?).

A few others:

Million Dollar Baby (too easy to be overly melodramatic);
Lord of the Rings (even if I'm too late to prevent it);
Blazing Saddles (Young Frankenstein, I can accept. The Producers' Springtime for Hitler worked because of the setting of the show. Blazing Saddles, though, I just don't see the humor working today);
Any recent Hollywood "epic" war flick, no matter what age it was set in (from Troy to Kingdom of Heaven to Blackhawk Down).

[JulesReverie]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:51am

Harry Potter...I can see it now, Voldermort: the life and times of the wic-i mean Evil wizard of Hogwarts(sorry I don't read Harry Potter to know the name of wherever hogwarts is lol)

Okay here's more

Mommie Dearest
Howard the Duck
Revenge of the Nerds
Dirty Dancing(it'd be considered another hairspray with it's simmilar theme, it's too late for it to work)
Back to the Future
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
MAtrix

I know I have more but I can't think of them at the moment

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:52am

I would actually love to see Sondheim tackle "BABY JANE"
That whole "LORD OF THE RINGS" thing really scares me alot.

[jam_man]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 12:55am

I once heard that some college actually wrote The Matrix: The Musical. And somewhere, they DO have a musical of the original Star Wars trilogy. It's supposed to be at least kind of popular, if nothing else (know nothing about it, other than that).

[JulesReverie]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:00am

Lord of the Rings isn't a Joke? It's actually being turn into a musical?! What is boradway coming too?! What next? Mary Kate and Ashley's Passport to Paris the Musical?

Okay more

Sixth Sense
Godfather(oh please, I hope I don't jink it)
Cold Mountain
Aviator(enough with Howard Hughs, he already has another movie coming out)
Titanic..wait it already is a musical
Pearl Harbor
Dances with Wolves

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:02am

Miss Congeniality 1 and 2 although I could see them making the first one into a show but I don't think it could work, and it'd be a miracle if it did.

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:04am

As much as it's my favorite movie, and already a musical, Dancer in the Dark would NOT work on stage.

[TennesseeTwang]

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

1)Citizen Kane
2)The Godfather
3)Bridge on the River Kwai
4)Casablanca
5)Raging Bull
6)Lawrence of Arabia
7)Gone with the Wind (Did you see Irreconcilable Differences?)
Schindler's List (See tasteless tap dancing to theme music at Oscars)
9)High Noon
10)Jaws

[JulesReverie]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:07am

You know too bad there was a prequel before Gregory Maguire could write a book on Darth Vader, I could really see Darth Vader and Obi wan singing "What is this Feeling?" and "Defying The Force"

Miss Congeniality(can't spell) I see it happening badly too
Updated On: 8/2/05 at 01:07 AM

[jwsel]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:15am

Lord of the Rings is no joke.

It opens in Toronto next spring. Brent Carver is playing Gandalf.
Official Website for Lord of the Rings - The Musical

[zzannahk]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:17am

I think now the idea is that anything with songs or dancing can be a show, so based on this:

I second Dirty Dancing
Strickly Ballroom
Cry-Baby (which there are rumors for)
Newsies
Swing Kids
Footloose

[Marquise]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:21am

Footloose was already turned into a Broadway musical.
Gone with the Wind was also turned into a musical.

[jam_man]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:21am

Jules: HA, HA, HA!

"Vader: I think I'll try
Defy-ing Obi-Wan!
After I kill him
I'll be the only one
Who can bring my pow-ER
DOWN!!!!!!!!!!"


Lucas couldn't write that well, though! :)

[zzannahk]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:32am

I think the Buffy Musical Episode show be made into show!!

[JulesReverie]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:38am

Jam man:

LOL I could so see darth vader belting

SO IF YOU WANNA FIND ME
LOOK TO THE DEATH STAR
AS SOME TOLD ME LATELY "EVERYONE DESERVES A CHANCE TO KILL...

And here's the last verse

NOBODY IN ALL THE GALAXY
NO JEDI THAT THERE IS OR WAS
IS EVER GOING TO BRING ME DOW

OBI WAN: MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!!

Too bad there was a prequel made into epic movies, it would have worked as a musical *imagine Jar Jar Binks singing*

jwsel:

Lord of the rings is't a joke, huh, wow, can't believe it


zzannahk:
Newsies! How could put that movie on the list?!...not that I'm a biased fan or anything *takes off avatar*

[jwsel]

Posted: 8/2/05 at 1:48am

JulesReverie:

I can almost hear the Wagnerian crescendos during Darth Vader's solo.

I just saw a promo for the new Dukes of Hazzard movie and think I now have a new number one film I'd never want to see in a Broadway musical. I'm just imagining lot's of line dancing and choreographed bar brawls.

If we expanded this to TV, the list could grow exponentially larger. Anyone up for A-Team: The Musical? (Maybe Michel Bell could play Mr. T.)