THE PRODUCERS FILM — Page 2

Ok I do agree with the few that said Nicole is the popular one getting people to the movies. But personally, I think she's kind of whiny. At least singing wise. I don't like her voice at all. I think they could have done a better job casting Ulla, since Cady Huffman didn't sign. Why didn't Cady sign? I know it was probably said why but I haven't heard anything.

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Cady was never offered the role.

To be brutally honest, in movie close-up, Cady isn't very pretty at all.

what they can't do, though, it turn Cady's name into one that will sell tickets.

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Nichole's name didn't make STEPFORD WIVES into a hit.

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"Having a big star doesn't guarantee people will like the movie" is exactly the point. No, Kidman didn't hurt STEPFORD WIVES, but the fact that it bombed shows that she is not the box-office guarantee for everything that everybody assumed she was. Like it or not, a musical film with the entire Broadway cast would never be backed by a major studio. The would insist on 'name' Hollywood stars. It's actually something of a miracle that Gary Beach & Roger Bart were cast (and a not-so-blind item in one of the tabloids a few weeks ago hinted that Lane wanted to thank Brad Oscar for being a trouper by strongly suggesting to Mel that some role in the film be found for him).

In the right role, Kidman is fine (she deserved her Oscar for THE HOURS) but I can think of other 'name' actresses (Zellwegger & Witherspoon, for instance) that would make a superior Ulla.

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Updated On: 8/22/04 at 07:01 AM

MasterLCZ I agree 100% with what you're saying. If it were up to me, movies like this would be entirely Broadway performers! It's inevitable that any musical popular enough to get made into a major motion picture will have to accept "name brand" casting in some form.

I'm just happy that THE PRODUCERS is able to keep its 4 most memorable original cast performers in tact and that Ulla and Liebkind were at least given to celebrities who are more than capable of acting the roles well. Their singing may not quite compare with that of Cady or Brad, but the world's not perfect.

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Funny though, I hear that while Nathan, Matthew, Roger, Wil and Gary all signed their contracts weeks ago.....

Nichole hasn't.

Kinda late isn't it? Pre-production begins in January.


It might be a mere formality, of course.

Or not.

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"Having a big star doesn't guarantee people will like the movie" is exactly the point. No, Kidman didn't hurt STEPFORD WIVES, but the fact that it bombed shows that she is not the box-office guarantee for everything that everybody assumed she was.

"Stepford Wives" was bound to be a flop because of it's unusually high budget (about $90 million) and all the trouble it went through just to get finished. Add to that, a poor marketing campaign which gave away the entire movie (so, there's no need to see it), it didn't have much of a chance. No one really expected it to do anything. However, it still made an impressive $21 million opening weekend (opening with "Harry Potter" in theaters) and managed to make a decent $58 million total. I think that the cast really helped make this movie some money (Kidman, Bette Midler, and Faith Hill. I'm not sure if Broderick is really a draw, but I could be wrong). And, I'd also like to add that I don't think just having a certain celebrity in a movie will bring in money. "Stepford Wives" just didn't look like a good movie (I saw it and enjoyed it, but the ads weren't flattering). Look at "Catwoman," Halle Berry is a huge star and has plenty of fans. But, "Catwoman" looked like a horrible movie, so it bombed ($38 million total). So, you can't say that just because "Stepford Wives" didn't make a ton of money, Nicole Kidman isn't a box office draw.

That was a lot longer than I had anticipated.

Updated On: 8/22/04 at 11:37 AM

Yes, there were a lot of reasons for the Stepford Wives to fail, but his point was that the fact that NK was IN the movie did not ensure its success.

And, though there were several people who reported earlier in this thread that she is a joy to work with according to their friends...I have to say that my sources say just the opposite and there was an unstoppable rumor flying around the cast of SW to the degree that the cast was asked to try to deflate it so that people would go see the movie. That rumor basically said that there were several very difficult people working on this shoot who made the set miserable and one of them was NK. Take that with a grain of salt perhaps but all that aside, I don't really think that (stunt casting or no stunt casting) she is RIGHT for this role. They could have cast Faith Hill (who can sing) or any number of other women in this part and they would have more physically right for the role and had a better singing voice and still had good box office potential. But they didn't So I guess we all have to live with it. In the end, if the movie gets made and more people get to see the brilliance of Lane Broderick together and Beach and Bart...I will be happy.

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Well, I think of it this way: if Kidman wasn't in it, it would have done that more terribly.

I read that Frank Oz and Bette Midler didn't always see eye to eye.

i've got a question, was cady huffman the girl who played ulla on the curb you're enthusiasm season finale?

Wait--Bette Midler isn't in the movie is she? She totally should be somehow--she'd be awsome.