Which movie musicals could Spielberg have done?

Which movie musicals would've been perfect for Spielberg's talents?

ALW's Whistle Down the Wind was originally meant to be a Spielberg film, with Johnny Depp and Kirsten Dunst attached (presumably for the roles of The Man and Swallow, respectively). As Martin Sheen narrates the early demo that's circulated for ages, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if he was angling for a role as well, likely Boone. (Ultimately, they decided to try it onstage instead.)

When you think about it in retrospect, it seems almost tailor-made for Steven, bearing all the hallmarks and recurring themes of his classic work: ordinary characters searching for or coming in contact with extraordinary beings or finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances; a childlike sense of wonder and faith; tension in parent-child relationships, with the parents (often fathers, as in Whistle) reluctant, absent or ignorant; the family shown divided is resolved in the ending; generally optimistic in nature; a little overly sentimental.

I honestly think if Whistle had been made as a film in the Nineties, it would've had a shot at being one of those family-friendly classics that became a cult favorite like Newsies or Hocus Pocus -- not perfect, but much beloved by a generation that grew up watching it.

Updated On: 8/1/20 at 11:02 PM

MISS SAIGON 100%

I'm not terribly familiar with it, but what I know of Rags makes me think he could've done something with it. I also would love to have seen his version of Evita, and Forello! is a worthy contender as well.

Apparently, 1941 was at some point meant to be a musical, which might've helped.

Mame. Mr. Spielberg knows all about auto tune.

Globefan said: "With Eva Noblezada reprising her role as Kim?"

No.

How about My Fair Lady?

Now that Steven Spielberg's West Side Story has been released, I thought I'd give this thread a bump. If he ever does adapt another stage musical for film, I would prefer for it to be one that hasn't been adapted yet (unless it was previously made into a poorly received movie like A Little Night Music, Mame, or Man of La Mancha). I agree with others in this thread that I think Spielberg would be a great choice for Miss Saigon or Ragtime. I don't know if a film adaptation of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is still in the works at Sony, but I think he'd be an interesting choice for that. Spielberg kind of had a similar upbringing to Carole King in that he was this creative Jewish kid with divorced parents.

Man of La Mancha was my first thought. Spielberg, more than any major filmmaker since Capra, is motivated by heart and I am sure he would do this piece full justice.

I had not thought of Ragtime but yes, he would do a wonderful job with it. A plus is that Ahrens and Flaherty are still with us (sadly, Doctorow and McNally are not) and could work on the adaptation.

(unless it was previously made into a poorly received movie like A Little Night Music, Mame, or Man of La Mancha)

or South Pacific! That's one I've been suggesting.

I really hate that he chose WSS, though it is very much in his post-'80's wheel box. It isn't just that I think the original version was great and didn't need a remake. It was just so like Spielberg that, if he was going to do a musical at this point in his career, he wasn't going to do something light and fun and frivolous. It would have to be a "big" "important" movie on a "big" "important" theme by "big" "important" writers. He even brought in a newer big, important writer to do the screenplay. His musical would have to "measure up" to things like Schinder's List and Munich. But why?

Have you actually watched the movie? Because if you have, it pretty much answers all your questions as to why it was made the way it was.