If you actually did read most of my posts, I always use "in my opinion" or imply this is so. Most on this board have the intelligence to perceive this rather than resort to insulting fellow board members. If you are yawning again that is what people do when they get back from disrupting a town meeting which I suspect is your calling in life based on your comments here.
I agree that Laura Michelle Kelly would be great, but also agree that it probably won't happen.
"I long-ago realized that this country is a nation of
morons, when it comes to knowledge of anything outside, or beyond, pop culture." Steve Slezak
I too would love to see Maggie Smith as Mrs Higgins. I'd also love to see Stephen Fry as Pickering. He would be perfect for it. And even better if Hugh Laurie was Higgins.
Laura Mitchell Kelly? Kelli O'Hara? Liza O'Hare? Seriously? The producers would make more profit by throwing money in a trash can than they would if they cast any of those people as Eliza in a MY FAIR LADY movie. They need a name, that is, someone who the public knows, and someone with a following. So your names are Keira Knightley, Jessica Biel, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Megan Fox, Emily Blunt, Kate Hudson, or even Leighton Meester. The movie needs to sell both domestically and internationally. It's a musical in the very traditional sense based on a Shaw play, it's already a hard sell as it is, why would the producers cast a nobody as the main role? Expect: Keira Knightley or Anne Hathaway as Eliza, Hugh Grant, Daniel-Day Lewis, George Clooney or Colin Firth as Higgins, Michael Cane as Mr.Doolittle, Emma Thompsom, Julie Andrews or Maggie Smith as Mrs.HIggins, and James Marsden or Hugh Dancy as Freddy. These are names, names sell.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
Dayoa: thank you for your posts. I always find you to be knowledgeable, objective and insightful. For me they come too infrequently as I find them to be amongst the best on this board.
Dayao, Muhlethaler etc: Lighten up! No thread is worth trading insults over. Remember what Hitch told Ingrid: "It's only a movie".
Anyway, I've read that Keira Knightley is a done deal if this project ever actually happens. It's better to speculate on the supporting cast. Here are my choices: Colonel Pickering: Ian McKellen Freddy Eynsford-Hill: Stuart Townshend Alfred Doolittle" Geoffrey Hughes (a better fit for this role could not be found than this wonderful British actor who played the similarly inclined "Onslow" on the series, "Keeping Up Appearances") Mrs. Pierce: Julia MacKenzie one musical theatre's treasures) Mrs. Higgins: Julie Andrews (not only for sentiment, she would be great in the role) Zoltan Karpathy: Karl Urban
My Avatar is the amazing young singer, James Anest
I was just throwing examples. Basically, no theater star that's not a film name is going to star in this movie. SporkGodess, like I said, I don't think Laurie's HOUSE schedule would allow him the chance to be in this film.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
Anne Hathaway is one of my favorite actors, but she does NOT have the voice, nor is she right for Eliza. Frankly, I can't think of any big name who could do the role justice vocally.
^^^Yeah, but this is a musical. There's pre-recording, learning choreography, and the fact they want film on-location, and that always comes with its problems.
I know that Higgins doesn't dance, but who knows? It might be different.
Now that I think about it, I wonder how different it's going to be from the stage play/original movie. Maybe it might have a different ending? I also wonder if they'll cut any songs. I think it'd be pretty cool if they added "Say a Prayer For Me Tonight" before Eliza goes to the ball. Wasn't there another song called "Come to the Ball" (sung by Higgins) that was cut from the stage production? There was also a dream ballet sequence involving Eliza.
How on Earth are they going to film it on location?
Covent Garden is one of the most popular public squares in the world, and would take extensive set dressing to be transported back to 1910. There is no way London City Council will close off the square for the required time.
Maybe they'll use Russell Square for Wimpole Street, but sadly the majority of the film will probably end up being filmed at Pinewood/Shepperton.
Anyway, I've read that Keira Knightley is a done deal if this project ever actually happens. It's better to speculate on the supporting cast.
Not true, surprisingly. Knightley herself said that she covets the role but hasn't actually gotten it yet. I think there are worse choices, but heavens do I wish we could find someone with a better voice. If our theoretical movie refuses to cast someone less-known as Eliza, I'm not above hoping for dubbing. What can I say? I'm a traditionalist that way. :P
(And BTW, why not cast a newcomer as Eliza? If the producers had some guts they'd try to discover the next starlet-in-the-making - who also happens to have a good voice - and cast her.)
As for Hugh Laurie - he can film in his House hiatus, and has recently with Street Kings. But to be fair, that was a supporting role filmed in LA. On the other hand, he understandably likes to go to England on his breaks, so there's that. And one of his best friends is writing the screenplay and wants him for the part.
I guess just think he'd be so completely ideal for Higgins I'm willing to grasp at straws a bit. I think gets about three months off in the summer, plus a week or two for Christmas that can be used for pickups. Is that a plausible time frame?
What is so wrong with casting in a similar way to the Hairspray movie? An unknown lead (preferrably Laura Michelle Kelly), surrounded by stars in the supporting parts (Hugh Laurie, Richard Griffiths, Julie Andrews, Judi Dench, Geoffrey Hughes, Ben Barnes etc.)
I think they got away with it in Hairspray because, apart from the theatre community, the musical wasn't that well known, so no preconceptions were made by the general public. Eliza, however, is the biggest selling point of the film. Plus, the other female supporting roles, with the exception of Mrs Pearce, are just not big enough to attract big names.
"I can't think of any big name who could do the role justice vocally." How many of the top actress' vocal skills are you familiar with? We know very little about most actress' singing abilities.
What people are also not getting is that the target audience for HAIRSPRAY is not the target audience for MY FAIR LADY at all. Casting a new-comer as Eliza--especially as they have clearly pursued a number of A-listers who are actually interested in playing the role--is not what they are trying to do, nor what they should do, if they expect this movie to make money at all.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
Dayao, none of these actresses have to be professional singers. They just have to be good enough to hit the note one time in a studio. This is a movie, not a live performance being done eight times a week, some of these actresses are certainly good enough to pull off the role on screen, and some of the mentioned actresses have been professionally trained. Just because you haven't seen any of them on Broadway (yet) doesn't mean they can't play the role, and do it well. That being said, I think Anne is the best choice. She does have the training and the voice, but she is already under contract to do the Judy Garland musical both on screen and stage. Knightley isn't a bad choice and I think she could do a fine job. At the end of the day, a name actress will be important to make this work. The actress playing Eliza is what people will want to see, not the movie, people can put in their DVD for that.
Professor Higgins: Daniel Day-Lewis Eliza Doolittle: Emily Blunt Alfred P. Doolittle: Bill Nighy Pickering: James Cromwell Mrs. Pearce: Mariam Margoyles Freddie: James Marsden Mrs. Higgins: Julie Andrews (if she'll do it.)
Good riddance to Keira Knightley who apparently is no longer involved. Someone page Carey Mulligan's people, please, the girl would be perfection as Eliza.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"