THE COLOR PURPLE Movie Musical - News & Discussion Thread- Page 8

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 1:05am

I didn't even consider that they'd go to her, but yeah. F*CK yeah.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 1:21am

Brooks should have won the Tony. I was never the biggest fan of Cynthia on Broadway, it was scenery chewing 101 for me, but Im hoping they can get a screen worthy performance out of Fantasia. I loved her on Broadway, but it was very stagey. Looking forward to this!!

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 2:32am

This casting is incredible. I don’t know how I would improve upon it. I can see Barrino, Brooks, Henson, and Domingo in serious Oscar contention, with H.E.R. getting another song nomination. I hope they get the direction right with this. 

[BritCrit]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 7:14am

everythingtaboo said: "BritCrit said: "At the very least, it will allow her to avoid Mena Massoud syndrome (Headlining a Disney Live-action remake, the vanishing into obscurity for months after it gets released)."

Mena was very candid in a 2019 interview about his life post-Aladdin:

“It’s wild to a lot of people,” he says. “People have these ideas in their head. It’s like, I'm sitting here being like, OK, Aladdin just hit $1 billion. Can I at least get an audition? Like I’m not expecting you to be like, here’s Batman. But can I just get in the room? Like, can you just give me a chance? So it’s not always what you think.”

“I’m usually the wild card.”

“There’s always a wild card or two when you’re casting,” he says. “I’m usually the wild card. In a room of Caucasian guys, a director might be like, OK, let’s see, like, two guys who aren’t. And maybe they’ll be the wild card choice.”"

I was perfectly aware of this when making my comment, and it's certainly pretty depressing that Massoud had to deal with this.* It is also worth noting that Massoud and Bailey are entering the world of blockbusters from different positions (Massoud had only a few minor roles beforehand, whilst Bailey is an RnB rising star who gained three Grammy Nominations in the COVID-19 induced wait for TLM to start shooting), but the basic principle in the same - two relative unknowns headlining a Disney live-action musical and trying to find new roles whilst waiting for it to come out and introduce them to a wide audience. Massoud has since released a vegan cookbook and starred in one of those critic-proof Netflix romcoms, but his plight is still incredibly frustrating...

 

* - Yes, 2019 Aladdin wasn't the most exciting movie, but Massoud's failure to get cast feels inexplicable, especailly as  "Hot Jafar" Marwen Kenzari continued to get roles in blockbuster movies despite his performance being seen as one of the worst bits of that film... 

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 7:27am

Not sure if this was mentioned earlier, but I seem to remember reports when the DREAMGIRLS film was casting that Fantasia had delivered an unbelievable screen-test for Effie, and was the entire creative team's first choice, save for David Geffen. The reports seemed to indicated that it was only after Fantasia (at Geffen's insistance) was rejected that the team revisited earlier candidates, and narrowed in on Jennifer Hudson. If the story is true, it's nice that Fantasia is finally able to command the screen in a major movie musical role.

[BJR]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 9:01am

I recall just hearing then it was down to the two of them. Not sure of the timeline. And Jamie Foxx really wanted Fantasia, I recall reading.

[teddy1996]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 9:04am

andra day would have been an amazing choice for shug. and i feel that it would make a lot more sense if halle played squeak instead of nettie. 

Updated On: 2/4/22 at 09:04 AM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 2:17pm

Excuse me while I pick up my jaw, as it has hit the floor with news of this casting.

WOW!

I am SO IN.

Take aaaaallllll my money....

 

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 3:46pm

Casting sounds great, so yay for that.

I have a black Art Director friend in Atlanta posting on Facebook his very legitimate complaint that this movie of all projects has so little representation of people of color in its art department.  What a missed opportunity, especially in a town like Atlanta where there's a really deep bench of superb black talent to staff an art department.

So yay for the promise of this film, but big thumbs down for the ways it falls so short in making the art team look like the story its depicting. 

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 4:01pm

I’m so stoked! This feels like a fantasy fan casting come true in the best way. And how cool that we have a cast with representatives from the original Broadway run, the Broadway revival, the recording industry, and the film industry in this movie. It really feels like an all-star event to me now. Plus everyone can actually sing!

I’m also so excited for Fantasia. It’s so heartwarming to see her get this opportunity after so many ups and downs and false starts in her career. I’m definitely someone who’s always been curious about what her Effie could have been. I remember Oprah talking about wanting to make this movie with her back around when she was doing the role onstage, but that idea seemed to fade as years passed and Erivo fever hit.

[teddy1996]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 4:05pm

scott sanders who produced the original broadway production said in a recent interview that this movie will incorporate magical realism so that the audience can get a chance to go inside of celie’s imagination. i find that very intriguing. 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 4:11pm

I was chatting with a friend about Taraji P. Henson as Shug, and she told me to watch a clip of her on the new Jimmy Fallon show, That's My Jam. I had my doubts about the casting, but this silly performance has changed my mind:

 

[teddy1996]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 5:00pm

the movie will be choreographed by fatima robinson. she has choreographed for michael jackson, backstreet boys, and aaliyah. she has also choreographed the wiz live, dreamgirls, save the last dance, and the cheetah girls: one world. 

[Valentina3]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 5:28pm

TaffyDavenport said: "I was chatting with a friend about Taraji P. Henson as Shug, and she told me to watch a clip of her on the new Jimmy Fallon show, That's My Jam.I had my doubts about the casting, but this silly performance has changed my mind:

Okay that was pretty great, thanks for sharing Taffy!

"

 

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 6:06pm

That was hilarious and impressive.

I bet she will be great. I’ve always wondered about Janelle Monáe as Shug though. I think she would have been fantastic.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 6:13pm

Wow. I love the idea of Andra Day. That would've been phenomenal. That being said, Taraji is going to blow this part out of the water.

[teddy1996]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 6:53pm

i hope that they bring back the original music arrangement for push da button for this film adaptation. i would love to see a epic dance break like in this performance to be portrayed on screen. taraji is gonna slay the hell out of this number https://youtu.be/csNM2ma1Ous

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 8:29pm

Cynthia Erivo posted her congratulations on her Instagram. Very classy of her. 

[teddy1996]

Posted: 2/5/22 at 3:01pm

this movie has the potential to be one of the best movie musicals ever created. and i can definitely see fantasia, danielle brooks, and colman domingo winning oscars for their performances.

[teddy1996]

Posted: 2/6/22 at 3:24pm

i also really hope that this movie has live singing in it

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/6/22 at 3:33pm

Hopefully some passages or selected numbers will have live singing, but not the LES MIS fiasco of singing along to live piano, which gave the actors waaaay too much control over the tempo of the songs and then it sounded weird when orchestration was laid onto songs sung for the dynamics of piano

[teddy1996]

Posted: 2/8/22 at 7:50pm

does anyone know if cynthia erivo auditioned for this movie? 

[teddy1996]

Posted: 2/12/22 at 9:19am

if anyone is in georgia, they are looking for extras: https://www.projectcasting.com/job

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/12/22 at 9:58am

teddy1996 said: "does anyone know if cynthia erivo auditioned for this movie?"

This film adaptation is happening after Cynthia’s film career has been somewhat solidified - she’s a 2 time Academy Award nominee, one being as Best Actress, so no… she did not audition for a role she has already played on Broadway and for which she won a Tony Award for.  I’m sure she was offered the role in the film and we can speculate why she declined.  It could be a number of reasons: the film adaptation of WICKED is in production at the same time and she chose to do WICKED instead?  Didn’t want to revisit a role she’s already played?  Met with the director and didn’t groove with him?  They couldn’t negotiate a suitable salary?  Could be many things.  

[briankershawjr]

Posted: 2/12/22 at 4:22pm

Hears a thought… please hear me out 

I loved the new version of West Side Story however did we really need a remake??,

so here’s my question to you with the 1st color purple a major hit for all… do we need a new version of it???

btw I love the music … just a question I was asked