"Well, they do need to cast people who will sell tickets. That's how movies are green lit."
Movie had Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway who I think are pretty big stars -lol. I think they could have survived without Russell Crowe and had Broadway performer do it instead of Crowe.
Zeppie2022 said: ""Apparently, you have not seen/heard Pierce Brosnan inMamma Mia!nor Gerard Butler inThe Phantom of the Opera. Although in Russell's case, he actually is an experienced rock singer. I've seen people make the argument that it was more of a factor of him not having the range to sing something likeLes Miz."
Actually, I did see Pierce Brosnan in "Mamma Mia", and he was awful, but Crowe was much worse IMO. "Les Miz" requires a lot more talented singer than a musical with songs from the pop group ABBA. In other words, Crowe's inability to handle the singing required comes off worse than Brosnan. No right or wrong, just difference of opinion."
Well, here's a major difference: Brosnan in Mamma Mia! won a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor. As for Crowe in Les Miz, he wasn't even nominated.
Jeffrey Karasarides said: "Zeppie2022 said: ""Apparently, you have not seen/heard Pierce Brosnan inMamma Mia!nor Gerard Butler inThe Phantom of the Opera. Although in Russell's case, he actually is an experienced rock singer. I've seen people make the argument that it was more of a factor of him not having the range to sing something likeLes Miz."
Actually, I did see Pierce Brosnan in "Mamma Mia", and he was awful, but Crowe was much worse IMO. "Les Miz" requires a lot more talented singer than a musical with songs from the pop group ABBA. In other words, Crowe's inability to handle the singing required comes off worse than Brosnan. No right or wrong, just difference of opinion."
Well, here's a major difference: Brosnan in Mamma Mia! won a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor. As for Crowe in Les Miz, he wasn't even nominated."
Even being a Crowe-as-Javert defender myself, NOBODY should use the Razzies as any sort of benchmark as to the quality or lack thereof of a movie or performance. Most of the negative stereotypes people claim apply to awards groups like the Oscars are more accurately applied to the Razzies ten times over.
"Well, here's a major difference: Brosnan in Mamma Mia! won a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor. As for Crowe in Les Miz, he wasn't even nominated."
I am not arguing with you who is right or wrong. How many times do I have to say to you it is my personal opinion? You think Brosnan was worse, ok that is your opinion.
Zeppie2022 said: "I am not arguing with you who is right or wrong. How many times do I have to say to you it is my personal opinion? You think Brosnan was worse, ok that is your opinion."
To be fair, the most I was trying to do was pointing out that most people don't share your opinion there.
"In that post, the intentions were completely different."
In the short time I have been on this board, I can see you like theater (Broadway Legend) and are knowledgeable. Once again, I will say there is no right or wrong, it is an opinion. I think Russell Crowe was more horrible than Pierce Brosnan in the Broadway movies we have mentioned. Many others may disagree with me, and I don't care, it is my opinion. You do understand that Brosnan may have received a "Razzie" for bad acting in "Mama Mia" and it was not all about his singing.
Anyway, the point of my original post was that I wish Broadway musical movies had more people that can actually sing the part well instead of being hired just because they may be a name people recognized. "Les Miserables" had two big names in the movie (Jackman, Hathaway) and did not need Crowe for box office in my opinion. I loved "Next To Normal" and I hope the movie hires people who can actually sing the parts well.
I think we have both beaten this point to "death" so I will stop.
I'll stop too after I bring this up again from a previous post I made in this thread:
"In Russell's case, he actually is an experienced rock singer. I've seen people make the argument that it was more of a factor of him not having the range to sing something like Les Miz. Nicole Ackman, who's my colleague at BroadwayWorld in our area of residence, once said on Twitter: "I don’t *love* Crowe’s Javert, but I don’t mind it. (I blame Hooper for my issues with the way the character is portrayed)".
If you actually look it up, Les Misérables was actually Russell's first time in a film that was a genuine box office hit since A Beautiful Mind 11 years earlier. I don't know if audiences for a while were kind of turned off by the troublemaking incidents he committed from him verbally abusing a producer after BAFTA in 2001 (which famously cost him a second consecutive Oscar) to throwing a telephone at a man in the Mercer Hotel in 2005. Although with Les Miz, that was an ensemble piece, so the marketing pressure wasn't all on him in particular."
To your point about the movie having enough commercially viable actors in it with Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway (the latter of whom was especially showcased a lot in the advertisements with her rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream', that was certainly the case with Into the Woods. The filmmakers had several prominent film actors in it such as Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, and Johnny Depp. Yet, they managed to find room for James Corden (who at the time, wasn't as well known as he is now) to play the male lead.
No matter who is cast, I am curious to see how this is adapted for the screen. I’d guess around 2/3rds of it is sung thru and I think there’s definitely a possibility of it coming off as overwhelming and overwrought, especially to someone unfamiliar with it.