SOUTH PACIFIC Set to Return to the Big Screen

Didn't see another thread on this, sorry if it has been posted already. Sounds interesting, can't wait to hear who they are looking at to play the roles.

It is being reporting that South Pacific will make its return to movie theaters after more than 50 years.

According to Variety.com, Amber Entertainment's IIeen Maisel and Bob Balaban's Chicagofilms will launch the development for the feature film along with Imagem, the owner of the copyrights.

It is reported that the plans are to keep the classic songs but to update the story with a "harder-edge." Variety quotes Balaban as saying, "'Our movie will be a tougher, more realistic retelling of the same classic story of two very different people whose love for each other transcends their enormous cultural differences, we think there's a whole new audience just waiting to fall in love with its magical score, epic romance and exotic locale.'"

BWW Article

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Updated On: 7/8/10 at 10:21 AM

We just had a film remake about 10 years ago (albeit not a very good one) so this is odd.

It's got a harder edge, huh? I'm seeing Jennifer Hudson and Ving Rhames directed by M. Night Shamalamadingdong.

Perhaps they're embracing the harder edge of the show? Recent productions of Rodgers and Hammerstein shows have proved more successful when the director and cast don't condescend the show, but rather embrace the darker, more raw side to it (Carousel, King and I, Oklahoma, South Pacific).

Perhaps if this is successful enough-and there's no reason why it shouldn't be-maybe we can finally get that Carousel remake fast tracked.

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Oh that TV movie? With Glenn Close as a 50 year old Nellie?

Updated On: 7/8/10 at 10:34 AM

I don't know. I mean, I happy with the Concert DVD with Reba and that is enough for me.

Starring Renee Zellwegger as Nellie Forbush, George Clooney as Emile DeBecque, Zac Efron as Joe Cable, Jack Black as Luther Billis, Vanessa Hudgens as Liat and Queen Latifah as Bloody Mary.

Jack Black as Luther Billis

I know you posted this as a joke and I'm not a huge fan of Jack Black but I could see that working.

I wonder if they would consider Matthew Morrison as Cable now that he's a "name".

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Maybe they will go for Cable's on screen death, just bloody and gruesome as they can make it.

I didn't like that they showed Cable (Connick) stepping on the mine in the ABC remake. But I'm sure they would show it on screen this time around.

Also, the Nellie's racism is barely touched upon in either film version. In the original I always kinda felt it was the fact that Emile had been married before that bothered Nellie. Not so much the color of the children. But the first time I saw the film I didn't even know what racism was. If they're going for a "darker" feel I wouldn't be surprised if Nellie's battle with racism is more on the surface like it is in the show.

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How is it unneeded and unwanted? I think it's a great project and obviously with the right creative team behind it it could be a gorgeous film. The original movie is a complete disaster, those filters are terrible and Mitzi Gaynor could never hold up to the work that stars like Deborah Kerr, Julie Andrews, Natalie Wood, Debbie Reynolds and other actresses did in the movie musicals they were in.
I definitely understand the idea of going for a darker approach, what I imagine they mean is emphasizing the racial struggles at the center of the text rather than simply putting it somewhere in the background. It could make for a really powerful movie.
I'd love to see what someone like Steven Spielberg could do with the material. Scarlett Johansson was rumored for the Broadway revival, I think she'd do a great job as Nellie.

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I wouldn't say it is unneeded nor unwanted. The first one on film has always annoyed me with it Hayes Code tamed down screenplay and the awful color filters that make some scenes nearly unwatchable, the second one was horribly miscast, the third was just a concert, and the fourth filmed version will only be available on DVD to those who are fortunate enough to own a good DVD recorder.
It is true that there are plenty of filmed versions to choose from, but they all have big flaws, so i look forward to seeing what this will bring us.

I don't see where in the article it says the movie will be "darker." It says "tougher" "more realistic"

My guess is that the issue of race prejudice won't be confined to Nellie alone, but there will there be indications of racism within the military culture itself.

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Updated On: 7/8/10 at 03:23 PM

It's unneeded and unwanted by me. I've NEVER seen a production of this show that I liked, including both films. And I enjoyed the 2001 TV Movie better than the original film!

I haven't seen the Broadway production, so I guess when PBS airs it I will give the show another shot, but to me, the only thing worthy about the show is its beautiful score. But the score in context in the show usually bores me.

Just my opinion, which I know is not shared by the majority.

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I used to feel the same way. The music is what South Pacific was all about for me. Of the R&H film musicals it was always my least favorite.

But when I saw the current Broadway production I saw what it could and should be. I have often described it as the closest thing to theatrical perfection I have ever seen. I was so moved by it that I literally wept through the show the first time I saw it.

The show deserves a good film adaptation. I just hope it gets one now.

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