Which movie musicals could Spielberg have done?

[Globefan]

Posted: 8/1/20 at 9:43pm

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

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/1/20 at 10:59pm

Before we give him carte blanche, let's wait to see how he did with WSS?

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 8/1/20 at 11:02pm

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

[Jarethan]

Posted: 8/2/20 at 11:47am

Based purely on a scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, I always thought that he might have been successful if someone had wanted to make a movie of Anything Goes.  And how about The King and I.  I have never liked the movie because it is so stage bound, design Oscars or not.  Speilberg would have done a great job opening that movie up.  I will also bet that he would have done a great job with Fiddler, but we have already argued whether Fiddler needs a remake.  (My vote: instead of Fiddler, why not do a show that has not already been made into a great movie.

[Tag]

Posted: 8/2/20 at 12:00pm

MISS SAIGON 100%

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 8/2/20 at 12:15pm

Agreed, MISS SAIGON is a perfect fit. A musical war epic with a tragic romance with commentary on American culture AND a nightmare sequence? That's fully up his alley, and I think he could still do it. MISS SAIGON's score, ever changing as it is, is very cinematic, and I think it could still do well as a film if it was made in the next couple of years. 

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 8/2/20 at 1:52pm

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.

[Globefan]

Posted: 8/2/20 at 2:07pm

I think he should've done Les Miz, Miss Saigon and Phantom 

[Tom5]

Posted: 8/2/20 at 2:22pm

Mame. Mr. Spielberg knows all about auto tune.

[hork]

Posted: 8/2/20 at 2:35pm

A Spielberg Les Miz would have been amazing.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 8/2/20 at 3:20pm

Ragtime.

[Globefan]

Posted: 8/3/20 at 6:36pm

Tag said: "MISS SAIGON 100%"

With Eva Noblezada reprising her role as Kim? 

[Tag]

Posted: 8/3/20 at 6:45pm

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

No.

[Globefan]

Posted: 8/3/20 at 6:46pm

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

No."

Maybe a newcomer for that role too

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 8/3/20 at 8:12pm

Depending how WSS turns out. I hope they jump on him for miss Saigon.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 8/3/20 at 8:34pm

Ugh do we really need Miss Saigon as a movie?

I just think these huge 80s broadway blockbusters make for really schmaltzy meh movies

[Globefan]

Posted: 8/3/20 at 10:00pm

How about My Fair Lady?

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 8/3/20 at 10:53pm

A few years back I thought he’d be an interesting choice for a Pippin adaptation

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 1/5/22 at 11:14pm

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.

[Musical Master]

Posted: 1/5/22 at 11:56pm

After seeing West Side Story, I think Ragtime would be perfect for Spielberg to tackle next if he wants to do another movie musical.

[The Other One]

Posted: 1/6/22 at 5:57am

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.

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 1/6/22 at 8:34am

Follies.

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 1/6/22 at 8:47am

 (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.

 

[joevitus]

Posted: 1/6/22 at 8:55am

Not Follies, unless he used the London script. He's far too sentimental to handle that material well.

I'd say Phantom would have been a great fit. He would have found a way to reproduce the gigantic feeling on the big screen and would have made it a genuinely exciting rollercoaster ride of a movie--which is what it needed to be. He probably wouldn't have stood for a pretty-boy Phantom, either, which would have been a plus.

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?

Geez, man, just give us a good time. The "Anything Goes" opening to Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom was a blast. Why not go for a full movie like that? 

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 1/6/22 at 9:27am

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.