Wicked -- The Movie

[Smartful Dodger]

Posted: 3/14/06 at 11:36pm

As much as I like Chenoweth on stage, her screen presence is grating, at least on THE WEST WING and those ridiculous OLD NAVY spots. I don't think I could stand her 20-feet tall projection at the Cineplex or that voice (THAT VOICE) amplified in THX Dolby Surround...

So, in anticipation of movie development buzz and casting (who remembers EVITA roulet through the 80s and early 90s before Madonna got down on her knees in front of Alan Parker and bonded her front teeth?), I started casting the movie on my way home tonight, targeting a Christmas 2010 release.

Elphaba -- Kelly Clarkson
Glinda-- Reese Witherspoon
Morrible -- Glenn Close
Wizard -- James Spader
Fiyero -- Ace Young
Nessa -- KT Tunstall
Boq -- TR Knight
Dillamond -- Johnny Depp

I want Robert Altman to direct.

NOW, before you flame, please consider two things:

(1) Kristin and Idina will still get paid; by virtue of their original contracts, they're attached to any movie development deal so producers have obscene buyout penalties if they decide not to use them.

(2) This is supposed to be fun!

[LyTeMyCanDyI]

Posted: 3/14/06 at 11:38pm

I love that you said Ace Young! I think Johnny Dep might ive the Wizard an interesting spin.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 3/14/06 at 11:38pm

I've considered those two things, and I still have to start a "flame"...

THERE'S DOZENS OF "WICKED MOVIE" THREADS, INCLUDING A DREAM-CAST ONE!

[Smartful Dodger]

Posted: 3/14/06 at 11:47pm

There may be "dozens" of threads but they're fairly dated and very, very long at that. On this board, I've also noticed that the propensity for "flaming" when people start new threads on old topics is pretty strange. I participate in several discussion boards, but this is the only one where people want to isolate or compartmentalize discussions into single threads. I've found it to be generally unwelcoming and snarky. I'll stop trying to participate here. Sorry...

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/14/06 at 11:47pm

There should be some sort of board punishment for posting a Wicked: The Movie thread more than once a month...honestly.

[stanton]

Posted: 3/14/06 at 11:50pm

Morrible -- Glenn Close Only If Patti Lupone says NO

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 3:11am

I will take a pass on a movie of Wicked. Saw the show but found it OK not great. Hence the lack of interest

[got-a-light]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 4:03am

you are 100% correct with glenn as morrible! i've always thought she would be perfect for the part.

[musicguy]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 5:38am

Very nice job casting. I loved it. But unfortunately Paramount are the producers, not any indie or artsy company. So unless Lindsay or Britney are in that line up.....we all know it wont sell tickets. And unfortunately the "Theater" demographic is a VERY small drop in the pan. Not that Kelly and Reese arent huge stars. But lets face it, they dont have half the following Madonna did when Evita was released. And anyone can tell you that Evita's ticket sales stood on the shoulder's of Madonna fame, not the GENERAL public's interest in Evita. (Or any musical for that matter). Look at Rent...oops. Box office loser. Hey- hasn't that been on DVD since New Years???

[jasobres]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 6:42am

I don't know about you but I would love to see Cheno with a lead role in a big-screen movie musical instead of a TV-movie-musical. So here's my cast wish list:

Elphaba: Idina
Glinda: Kristin
Fiyero: Ewan MacGregor
Morrible: Dame Judi Dench
Nessarose: Jenna Leigh Green
Boq: Elijah Wood
The Wizard: Joel Grey

P.S. There is absolutely no reason to cast a pop star as Glinda, because even Elphaba is annoyed at how unusually high her voice is, which is why they have that lyric
"For your face
Your voice
Your clothing."
So Glinda should be played by an alumnus of Broadway, and that alumnus should be Kristin.

Updated On: 3/15/06 at 06:42 AM

[Urban]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 8:18am

I would prefer the book being made into a movie, not the musical.

So lets talk about casting suggestions for Avaric, Nannie, Alma, Liir and Shell!

[YessicaB]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 8:38am

Oooh Nannie would be interesting, I like her character!
May I maybe have Angela Lansbury?

[Urban]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 8:43am

Heh. Angela would be my first choice for Nannie as well.

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 9:20am

I wish people would stop saying, "Unless it's made with Lindsay or Britney..." First of all, Britney Spears has made, like, one real movie that she was the star of (and if I remember, it bombed. It was a dreadful movie). And second of all, these two girls aren't the only box office draws in the United States (and I don't even think Spears is much of a draw). So, that arguement doesn't hold up very well. Reese Witherspoon is more than capable of bringing in an audience.

What this has to do with the discussion at hand, I don't know. But, I thought I'd share.

[kyguy78]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 9:54am

I think casting would be dependent upon what the studio wanted to gear the movie as. If it wanted to portray it as an old-school Broadway movie revival, then I could definitely see them putting Cheno & Idina in there. On the other hand, if the studio wanted to mainstream it up like Chicago, I could see a number of people in the two lead roles from pop stars to movie stars. On the other foot (since I'm out of hands), if they want to play up the young girls will absolutely freak out for it card, I think all bets would be off on who they'd cast...probably people closer to the two lead characters actual age at the beginning of the show when they're in school.

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 9:57am

Do you know for a fact about Kristin and Idina's original contracts?

[Pippin]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 10:32am

John Travolta for Elphaba
Miss Piggy for Galinda
Vince Vaugn for Nessarose
Whoopi Goldberg for Morrible
H & R Puffenstuff for Fiyero
Liza Minelli for the Wizard
Ray Ramano for Boq

[Fosse76]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 10:38am

"I would prefer the book being made into a movie, not the musical.

So lets talk about casting suggestions for Avaric, Nannie, Alma, Liir and Shell!"

Won't happen. The musical was a result of a failure to get the book made into a film.

[YessicaB]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 10:48am

Who cares. Obviously the thread is only playing around with ideas, I doubt any of us will actually be casting any movie version that might be made of Wicked at some point in the future...

[landryjames]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 11:17am

As much as I like Kelly Clarkson's voice and think she would do a great job with the score of Wicked, I have major doubts as to her acting ability or if she has any. She may surprise, however.

[jasobres]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 12:30pm

She was horrible in "From Justin to Kelly."
Better yet, the movie itself was horrible.

Updated On: 3/15/06 at 12:30 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 12:45pm

Chenoweth had some sort of stipulation in her contract about having first refusal on playing the role in the film - HOWEVER, there is a statute of limitations on that (I believe 3-5 years) for the obvious age reasons, and I honestly think by the time any film is made, that stipulation will LONG have expired.

I don't think Menzel had that kind of clause in her contract. She really didn't have that kind of bargining power 4 years ago.

At any rate, I don't think you'll see either Menzel or Chenoweth recreating these roles - even if the movie were to start shooting tomorrow. RENT and THE PRODUCERS paid a heavy price for using Broadway originals instead of established film names.

[MarkCohen]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 1:14pm

This movie should not be made. Period.

I like Wicked and I still think that way.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 1:19pm

The only way this movie should be made is if they totally rework the script and the total direction of it, both character-wise and musical-wise.

If the movie is made very similar to what it is on stage, I can already see the horrible reviews coming.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 1:26pm

If there is a movie, Idina and Kristin have both agreed to play Elphaba and Glinda (respectively...obviously).

I don't think it will be made into a movie for a long time though.