Sunset Boulevard - Movie Dream Cast — Page 4

Bumping this thread due to the supposed green light from Paramount to start the project in early 2018.

My thoughts...

NORMA: I guess it's a given it will be Glenn, but I'd love to see Meryl, another obvious choice. My out-of-the-box pick though is Judith Light. I don't believe she has the vocal chops...has she ever sung publicly? She'd act the role amazingly.

JOE: Ryan Gosling. Could look too young matched with Glenn as the age difference is supposed to be about 20 years. Ewan Magregor also comes to mind.

BETTY: Emily Blunt and Amy Adams are both now too old IMO to play a naive studio worker, but ten years ago they would have been perfect, Emily more so than Amy. What about Jennifer Lawrence or Brie Larson?

MAX: Patrick Stewart if he can sing the songs. Kenneth Branagh too, but he's too young to have been Norma's director.

bk said: "The supposed green light. Does anyone actually read this PR horse manure? Early 2018? No script, no director, no star signed. Yeah, sure. Mr. Lloyd Webber has had his publicity people working this for, what, twenty years or more? And every time they plant a new story everyone falls for it all over again. It is to laugh. This will get made at the same time as the other completely bogus publicist generated BS, Barbra Streisand's Gypsy - the twelfth of Never"



But...but...it's all over the Interwebs so I'm super certain it's for realz.



:-/

Paramount Studios owns the film rights to the Billy Wilder film noir from which ALWebber and his lyricists have adapted their musicalized version. It seems that the news from The Wrap says that it is Paramount whIch is now interested to do the remake, in a musicalized version. Maybe the studio ( recently placed under the stewardship of Jim Gianopulos as President and CEO) is now looking at projects that will revive the studio's fortunes.

Btw, Jim G was the Chairman of the annual musical benefits in Hollywood which benefited the Motion Pictures and Television Fund ( " A Fine Romance" concerts with Hollywood and Broadway musical stars, and a reprise of Jackman's Back on Broadway) every year. So, maybe he is not wary of the film genre of movie musicals. Maybe the comparison is not completely valid because of the audience demos, but Beauty and Beast is the 2017 box office champion to-date -- it had the brand, the former life as an animated movie, and a memorable musical score. Sunset Boulevard was a film classic and was once voted as one of the AFI's ( American Film Institute) most popular and well-regarded movies and the musical adaptation has a memorable musical score. It is also a story about Hollywood, although from the distant past when there were no franchises or superheroes or movies catering to young kids.

We'll see...

Jake Gyllenhaal as Joe Gillis
Lily James as Betty Schaefer

Isn't Marc Platt Productions connected with Paramount? If so, I'd be surprised if he's not involved in negotiations. Then SB can be a vehicle for his sons! Ben as Joe and Jonah as Artie. LOL

"How many of today's movie audience have even heard of Glenn Close? I think for this to survive in the cinemplex, it will have to have a very young supporting cast around Close to attract core audience. OR turn Norma into a 'superhero'. "



*Wasn't Glenn in that movie about 101 Dalmatians ( aimed at the very young generation)

*A young supporting cast -- already taken ... Zac Efron and Zendaya are in the next big movie musical THE GREATEST SHOWMAN ( cast is headed by Hugh Jackman and supported by multi-Oscar nominee Michelle Williams) and the movie is both produced and distributed by one of the big 6 major studios ( FOX). Maybe Jim G ( who formerly headed FOX) is looking at the same possibility -- a movie musical that is produced and distributed by a major studio, given the seemingly waning appeal of summer blockbusters?

*Norma into a superhero -- I know of a very young superhero ( X-23 from LOGAN) but maybe a senior citizen as superhero could be a novelty? Although Judi Dench and Helen Mirren have portrayed strong women in blockbusters ( Judi as M in the Bond movies...and Helen in that movie with Connery, etc about bank robbers, if I remember it right).

However the project proceeds, I am just keen to see it adapted for film.

Updated On: 8/18/17 at 12:16 AM

David10086 said: "jo said: "Maybe the comparison is not completely valid because of the audience demos, but Beauty and Beast is the 2017 box office champion to-date -- it had the brand, the former life as an animated movie, and a memorable musical score.

"



Personally. I don't see the comparison for a few reasons - most importantly, many of the younger audience members most likely 'grew up' on the B&B on DVD in the 90s - 00s, Or they most likely saw it on stage - either on Broadway, on tour, or regional theater...so they were very familiar with the story and the music before this year's movie came out.

SB, however, is different. I don't know how many of today's younger movie audience have seen the DVD, or the stage production...as compared to the older audience members. How many of today's movie audience have even heard of Glenn Close? I think for this to survive in the cinemplex, it will have to have a very young supporting cast around Close to attract core audience. OR turn Norma into a 'superhero'.



"

But the older generations do, and look at movies like Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. There id a rarely tapped market out there who do enjoy movies but dont often get movies made for them. Sunset should be relatively cheap to make and could return a decent profit

PatrickDC said: "Isn't Marc Platt Productions connected with Paramount? If so, I'd be surprised if he's not involved in negotiations. Then SB can be a vehicle for his sons! Ben as Joe and Jonah as Artie. LOL

"

Marc Platt has a first-look deal with UNIVERSAL, which is why he is involved in the forthcoming WICKED film adaptation.

https://filmescape.com/a-complete-look-at-all-the-production-companies-with-first-look-deals

Unless the above list has changed?

Not sure if it is still current, but he did have a first-look deal with FOX TV, which allowed him to produce the live-action GREASE musical for TV.

jo said: ""How many of today's movie audience have even heard of Glenn Close? I think for this to survive in the cinemplex, it will have to have a very young supporting cast around Close to attract core audience.

*A young supporting cast -- already taken ... Zac Efron and Zendaya are in the next big movie musical THE GREATEST SHOWMAN "

This is difficult. Indeed, most of today's movie audience have never heard of her, especially younger ones. Which I don't really care about, because quality should be all that matters, Especially with the artform of singing in film. You need people who actually use the singing to act. Not act in spite of it. But then, I find Glenn is completely inadequate too. She acts in spite of song. Basically all of her notes fail, which immediately translates to seeing an actress struggling with the notes and that makes the acting unbelievable. Also, I find her acing too cartoon-esque. Maybe more so because of the failed singing.

About the supporting cast, yes, they would need names there. Bat Zac Efron looks like he could be her grandson. I think Joe needs to be in his 40's at least to make it work somehow, but he also needs to be a superb singer because all of his scenes and tones in the notes, he needs to paint with the color of the notes to display the right amount of sarcasm and suspense. This artform is extremely delicate. You can't just speak the songs and pretend it works that way.

Updated On: 8/18/17 at 04:44 AM

Ive never understood why anyone would think Joe is a supporting character. Its his story and he is barely (if ever) off stage

Princeton2 said: "Ive never understood why anyone would think Joe is a supporting character. Its his story and he is barely (if ever) off stage"

In this respect, Sunset Boulevard is similar to Phantom of the Opera. Everyone thinks of Norma and the Phantom as the leads, but in actuality, they have relatively little stage time in comparison to Joe and Christine, who are in almost every scene and have vocals parts throughout most of the show.