What musical movies should be remade?

[Jewtopia]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 4:30pm

I personally want to see a new Hair using the current broadway cast, I absolutely hated the original movie.

[HollyGolightly2]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 4:54pm

Guys and Dolls (which is supposedly happening) and Phantom of the Opera, both cast this time with people who are actual singers. Updated On: 8/14/09 at 04:54 PM

[James885]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 4:56pm

I can guarantee that if Hair is ever remade, it will NOT be with the current Broadway cast.

[Lumen2]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 5:00pm

I didn't mind the Hair movie...it's kind of like what Rent should've been, an actual movie and not a high school production of the show on film.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 5:10pm

I'd love if Hair were remade to reflect the feeling of the show more, but hoping for the revival cast is ridiculous.

Rent also needs to be remade, with direction that does justice to the material. Actually, the current tour could use that as well.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 5:14pm

Carousel, though supposedly it's going to happen anyway so yay.

[Tg31590]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 5:14pm

Cabaret. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 5:18pm

Cabaret and RENT are 2 of my favorite shows of all time and I think that the movies are horrendous (yes, even the Academy Award winning 'Cabaret') so for my own selfish reasons, I want to see redos of those films. As much as I love HAIR, I don't think it works well on screen.

[bobby_luvs_bway]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 5:37pm

Evita is crying out for a better cast version. Love the cinematography but the movie is one big sleeping pill.
The Wiz could be fun.
Cabaret - I would love a more faithful version.(love the original film, but feel like there is more to this story than is presented)

[binau]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 6:01pm

I want to see a Sam Mendes CABARET and a new GYPSY.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 6:29pm

As much as I love HAIR, I don't think it works well on screen.

I disagree. I think a lot of people resort to this excuse when someone wants to film a show they like, as they don't want it be changed at all from what they saw onstage. Just because Will Swenson won't strip off his pants and hand them to seat A115 in the movie doesn't mean Hair can't work well on film with the right cast and creative team. Across the Universe was more like Hair than the Hair movie was, so it can be done.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 6:30pm

If they did a Hair movie, I know they wouldn't use the original cast, but...please use Will Swenson?

[Lumen2]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 6:36pm

Across the Universe sucked.

[claudioislove]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 6:41pm

"Across the Universe was more like Hair than the Hair movie was, so it can be done."

Hmm this is a really interesting statement. I really adored Across the Universe, and obviously I love Hair, and as I think about it, I can't decide if I agree or disagree. Anyway, I thinka Hair movie can be done. It CAN'T be exactly the show, but then again, it shouldn't or they;d just record the show and be done (which they should do anyway, but that's another story). Whenever something is turned into a movie, be it book or musical, I personally have no problem with changes from the original material. But when they change stuff, it;s usually pointless stuff that doesn't make anything better, i.e. all the strange time line changes in RENT or well everything about the Hair movie. none of that made it better, though I do understand in the Hair movie the point of adding a character who is an outsider, because a lot of the songs are so presentational and so "this is who we are", so you need someone to sing them to. Now making Claude that person... didn't work. Especially because then Berger basically had to embody three people: Claude, Berger, and Sheila all wrapped into one very confused person.

[BroadwayKing09]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 8:38pm

maybe sweet charity. the wiz.

[BroadwayBenny]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 8:45pm

Phantom of the Opera.. at least release a filmed version of the stage show to get the taste of that awful film out.

[jamoca5]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 8:57pm

Hair and RENT were the first two movies I thought of. I can barely sit through the Hair movie with all of the pointless changes. And some of the decisions made by Columbus for RENT just pisses me off in general (The cutting of the second half of Goodbye, Love, in particular. To this day, I can't understand why). Both movies had SO. MUCH. POTENTIAL. I would love for someone to redo them.

Another movie that comes to mind is The Wiz. Now, I don't care what anyone else says. That movie sucked. Sure, it had a great cast (sans the leading lady, but I'll get to that soon), but I just cannot bring myself to like it. The musical itself isn't even one of my favorites- I just enjoy the score. But I am convinced that BIG part of the reason why I feel that The Wiz was bad was Diana Ross and her overacting. This confuses me, because anyone who watches Lady Sings The Blues can clearly see that she can act. But in The Wiz, she was just awful.

I wasn't expecting to go off on a mini-rant like that, but when a good musical is turned into a bad movie, it really pisses me off.

~Ash was here

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 9:10pm

I'm surprised there hasn't ever been a remake of the Wizard of Oz. I think it needs a newer version because the old version is just so old, cheesy, and low-quality compared to today's filming technology.

I think that musicals don't need remakes as much as new movies. A Wicked movie was confirmed, but I think it could turn out bad. In the Heights has a movie deal, and that could end up looking really good. Billy Elliot the movie musical would work really well. When I saw the show, I thought "This could make a really good movie". Then I realized it was based on a movie. Still, it could work well. I think that with the success of the Mamma Mia movie, producers will probably want to do a Jersey Boys movie. And I almost forgot that Spring Awakening has a movie deal. Of course, it will be a very long time before any of these become movies, but we really need them.

[dayao]

Posted: 8/15/09 at 12:44am

The 1939 film of The Wizard of Oz featured state of the art special effects for its time and the Technicolor process used to film it has never been improved upon and is still used to make the highest quality color prints for today's film exhibition. More importantly, all the CGI technology in the world cannot make up for the absence of what really makes the The Wizard of Oz the classic film it remains to this day: TALENT. Where are you going to find a Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Margaret Hamilton, Billy Burke, Bert Lahr, Frank Morgan & Jack Haley? Certainly not among today's Broadway or film stars who all pale by comparison to these iconic performers whose like we shall never see again.

The Wizard of Oz was adapted as a stage musical in London in 1988 and was performed in a concert staging in 1998 in New York and both were beyond horrible both vocally and visually.

I do agree with you that it would be far better to make a movie of Wicked, which offers an updated slant on a portion of Wizard of Oz that speaks more to today's audiences, but also agree that it would probably be ruined because we also don't have any film directors like Victor Fleming, the director of The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind, a man with a no nonsense visual style who trusted the actors and technicians to do what they did best and stayed out of their way as they were doing it. Today's hack directors on stage and on film for the most part mask the fact that they have no talent whatsoever by liberally using the term "creative vision", and most of them are incapable of creativity or vision.

Updated On: 8/15/09 at 12:44 AM

[Miss Galinda]

Posted: 8/15/09 at 10:50am

ICAM with Dayao - The Wizard of Oz can't be topped in my book. They've tried...ever seen the one with the muppets and Ashanti? Or Return to Oz? Or The Wiz...that one just scares me! LOL I'd love to see a movie version of Wicked, but I'd hope it'd stick more to the musical script than the book. I think a movie of the book would turn out more like the Tin Man thing that was on the Sci Fi chanel.

As for movies that SHOULD be remade, my top vote goes to Thoroughly Modern Millie. I'd love to see a version where they include all the newer songs from the stage musical. And Julie Andrews (the original Millie) could play Muzzie!

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 8/15/09 at 12:24pm

I thought 'Across the Universe' was one of the most pointless films I've ever seen in my entire life. YES YES YES to Mendes-style Cabaret.

[Tg31590]

Posted: 8/15/09 at 5:54pm

I just noticed that I put "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" which is NOT a musical. I didn't notice the Musical part...im not dumb, I promise. :) Anyway, I have some more to add to my list

Gypsy- I hate all of the film versions. Imagine Mama Rose being Liza or Barbara's return to the screen!! gah...chills just thinking about it.

Funny Girl- As much as I enjoy that movie I would kill to see Amy Adams take a stab at Fanny!!

Rent- I adore the original cast but my Zeus they are too old for the movie! I think a group of new actors would be able to return some youth, energy and immediacy to Rent.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 8/15/09 at 5:59pm

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE was a brilliant film clearly showing Taymor's arrogance run amok.

[kchenofan]

Posted: 8/15/09 at 6:25pm

For purely selfish reasons, I'd love to see a Les Miz movie musical. Amy Adams would be brilliant in Funny Girl.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 8/15/09 at 6:42pm

"Gypsy- I hate all of the film versions. Imagine Mama Rose being Liza or Barbara's return to the screen!! gah...chills just thinking about it."

Say what? Liza and Barbra are waaaaaay too old for the part. They're in their 60s and Rose was about 30 (at the start of the play) and then mid to late 30s when the events take place. The real Rose was born in 1890 and had Louise in 1911 (aged 21) and June two years later (aged 23). Through much of the show Louise is 15, which would make Rose 36.