My Fair Lady - remake (+ more)

I read yesterday in The Sunday Times, that Cameron MacKintosh has three new musicals being made into films and that one of them is My Fair Lady. The script is being written by Emma Thompson and 2 actresses; one English and one American have been approached.

I think it will be Keira Knightley and Anne Hathaway. Although, it may be Jessica Biel.

Anyone heard any more?

I thought Keira Knightley was just about set for MY FAIR LADY.

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Emma Thompson said there are 2 in the running. I hope it's Anne Hathaway; she's proved she can do a convincing English accent and I believe she has more appeal than the other 2 actresses. Although Keira is more critically acclaimed; she's not as endearing as Anne. Plus, I don't think the UK public have warmed to her.

Yeh, here's a clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjwPbOoINvQ

Though it clearly isn't live and we know what they can do in a studio.

As a big Hathaway fan, I'd love to see her land the role. Even more, I'd love to see Hugh Laurie as Higgins. And with Laurie as Higgins, I'd love to see Maggie Smith play his mother.

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The article said the other two musicals were: Les Mis and Miss Saigon. Maybe they are going to cash in on the popularity of the musical as soon as possible; incase it's popularity wanes.

All three of the actresses mentioned are not vocally equipped to sing Eliza. They would all have to be, at the very least, partially dubbed since none of them are professional singers. Of the three Jessica Biel is the best singer, but she is still not good enough to sing Eliza.

If a real star such as Daniel Day Lewis or Hugh Laurie is signed to play Higgins then the most obvious and best choice to play Eliza is LISA O'HARE, who not only played the role brilliantly both in the West End and in the US tour, but has a superb voice ideally suited for the role. With O'Hare as Eliza the remake of My Fair Lady would at least have a chance of being compared favorably to the much-loved 1964 film classic, which is a tough act to follow, especially the impossible to duplicate or surpass orchestrations and conducting by Andre Previn (unless Previn is the music director of the remake). O'Hare embodies the best qualities of Audrey Hepburn, the most brilliant actress to ever play Eliza, and Julie Andrews, the most brilliant singer ever to sing the role.

Have we not learned anything since the original film was made? Why cast marginal or non-singers in the role when a great actress AND singer like Lisa O'Hare is equipped to give us what may well be the definitive acting and singing Eliza on the screen?

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Updated On: 8/17/09 at 07:12 PM

Anne should do this!!!

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You miss the whole point: Anne Hathaway and Jessica Biel are NOT real singers at all, at least not of professional quality. If you heard Hathaway's weak squeaky barely audible excuse for a soprano as I did in a concert performance of Carnival, a role not nearly as demanding as My Fair Lady, you would clearly understand why she would be vocally a disaster as Eliza. She was no better in the Oscar telecast except this time she was heavily miked and appeared to have larger voice which she does not. And any real British subject would laugh at the notion that Hathaway has mastered anything that even closely resembles a real British accent in anything she has appeared in thus far. Biel has a stronger more controlled voice than Hathaway but is still not nearly good enough for My Fair Lady.

I wouldn't call the thousands of theatergoers who saw and enjoyed Lisa O'Hare's brilliant Eliza in London and the US tour "nobody". She is a well known commodity and besides with a star playing Higgins there is no need for a star playing Eliza, and none of the 3 actresses have any box office clout anyway. Yes, they were all in moneymaking films but not because of their presence in these films.

And does anybody really think for a second that any remake of My Fair Lady is ever going to come within a mile of the 1964 film, which is a very faithful adaptation of the stage play with the brilliant performances from everyone including the original Henry Higgins of Rex Harrison and the greatest of all acting Elizas, Audrey Hepburn? With both her hands tied behind her back and on her worst day Audrey Hepburn was a better actress than all of these three actresses combined on their best day. And let's not even get into the fact that we have no musicians today who could ever orchestrate and conduct the score as brilliantly as Andre Previn did in the 1964 film. Listening to any recent film musical will bore that out.

If any of these three actresses are cast in a remake of My Fair Lady it would be an insult to the music of Lerner and Loewe. But you are right: the movies have and will continue to insult the great musical works of Broadway's composers and there is little we can do about it except not patronize such films and hope that such films will at least create a viable market for stage revivals of these works.

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Updated On: 8/17/09 at 09:03 PM

I don't think anyone is under the impression that the re-make will be regarded anywhere near as highly as the iconic original. They could have the perfect cast and it wouldn't come close. That being said, there's still a really good chance that the film could be fantastic! Visually, if its true that they're going with authentic setting it will look completely different and I imagine they will go out of their way to make it beautiful.

Does depend on casting Eliza.

Jessica Biel is a NO. She is B L A N D. I appreciate her singing voice, but she has next to zero star quality.

Anne Hathaway is the best fit I feel, she may not be a fantastic singer...but she CAN sing. She really does have the star quality and she would look beautiful.

I wouldn't be surprised if she is in the process of becoming a rising icon to be honest. If she were to do MFL, and the Judy Garland biopic amongst her numerous other projects...she'd be looking at plenty of Oscar nods.

That's because my posts are not for those who denigrate anyone because they lack the upbringing to have respect for anyone else's opinions and lack the intelligence to offer any opinions of their own.

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Updated On: 8/18/09 at 10:13 PM

Hathaway is a far better choice than Biel. Hathaway doesn;t have to sing the score live eight times a week, she has to get it right once in a studio. She a far better (and far more successful) actress than Biel. Here's my cast:

Higgins: Hugh Laurie
Eliza: Anne Hathaway
Col. Pickering: Anthony Hopkins
Alfred P. Doolittle: Michael Caine (if he can get through the songs)
Freddie: Ewan MacGregor
Mrs. Higgins: Maggie Smith

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Considering the casting choices for Eliza mentioned here, I think it makes perfect sense for Nick Adams to play Freddie. The role could be updated so he plays it without a shirt and his British accent is just as authentic as Anne Hathaway's.