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BREAKING: Looks like Universal Pictures has won the battle for the next film to be directed by Oscar-winning The King’s Speech helmer Tom Hooper. The dealmaking has started for Hooper to direct Les Miserables, a full-blown musical adaptation of the Cameron Mackintosh-produced perennial stage hit. This is the first film he’s begun negotiations on since winning the Oscar, but insiders in Hooper’s camp stopped short of saying it would definitively be his next film. I hear that’s how it will work out.
Mackintosh is producing with Working Title partners Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, and Bill Nicholson has written the script. The intention is to begin production before year’s end, somewhere in Europe. After the success of The King’s Speech — a $13 million budget film that could reach $450 million worldwide gross when it’s through — Hooper had been widely courted for his next slot. The Weinstein Company tempted him with Tulip Fever, and I’m told there was talk of an adaptation of Macbeth, among others. Hooper was tempted instead to film the musical adaptation of the 1862 Victor Hugo novel, the struggle by ex-con Jean Valjean to outrun his past and his relentless pursuer Javert. The musical, which opened in London in 1985, features such songs as I Dreamed A Dream, On My Own, and Bring Him Home. It is certainly a different film from Universal’s stage musical foray Mamma Mia! (which made the studio a fortune), but Les Miserables is appealing because it’s a branded musical with a reasonable price tag that will attract a strong cast. ICM is making Hooper’s deal.
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This has been my favorite musical for years and that is so exciting (and scary…) that there is a film adaptation happening! I can’t see this being anything other than really good or really bad though.
I’d rather pay a ticket for “Into the Woods” in 3-D!
Peter Jackson directs “Into the Woods 3D.” Yes please.
Into the Woods in 3D? Is that a project people are talking about? I have heard nothing yet. Get rid of the 3D and I’m in.
I don’t think anyone’s been talking about Into the Woods since 1997, but they should!!! Hopefully, this will get the ball rolling!!
Re: Into The Woods (non-3D), you can already get a copy of that! Search amazon for that title and Burnadette Peters….
I would say really bad! This is good on stage but rather boring on scree
Musical films are very difficult commercial projects…even Les Miserables.
That being said, I look forward to seeing what Tom Hooper can do with this great story and music.
Good luck…Tom!
I hope he and the producers consider Hugh Jackman for the role of Jean Valjean — he has the physicality, the legit voice, and the acting chops, plus a very strong screen presence, for the role!
Agreed. Hugh Jackman is the only movie star working today that has the vocal chops and leading man charisma/strength to pull off Jean Valjean. Alfie Boe is a great singer, but he is a complete unknown in the film world, and I honestly doubt they would let an unknown play the lead role in a big Hollywood movie. Jackman all the way.
Won’t they offer it to Johnny Depp first?
Can Colin Firth sing? He’d be a great Javert!
No, Colin Firth can’t sing. Watch Mamma Mia. The one solo he had in the movie was mercifully drowned out by Amanda Seyfried’s beautiful voice.
Some of the best ever Actors in films today were originally complete unknowns in the film world, they have to start somewhere. I believe in Alfie Boe’s case he has what it takes in bucket loads and it would be a travesty if they fail to cast him as ValJean !!!
Hope to see you in the film Alfie…..Cameron Mackintosh certainly knows what he’s doing!!!
I cannot believe they are casting Hugh Jackman when they could have had Alfie Boe. What a disgrace and what stupidity! Oh wait, it’s hollywood. What else can we expect? Maybe I’ll watch it on cable, but I won’t pay 1 cent to see it at the movies or buy the DVD. I’ll keep my 25th Anniversary edition thank you very much!
Yeah. Unfortunately, Tom Hooper WOULD do this next…
I know I’m looking forward to the next few Joe Wright movies.
Why the Debbie Downer on this?
Look at that! Hiring a director who is right for a movie based on taste and style! Gee, what a horrible mistake!
Hiring outside the box makes sense for tentpole and genre to mix it up. This is very specific.
This is an excellent idea creatively, and I wish Tom luck.
Let’s hope they re-write the songs and libretto to have some wit, charm, humour, and brains.
And let’s hope they re-write the entire lazy, boring score.
You are clearly without taste or knowledge.
Better luck next time, Scott. Thanks for trolling.
Ironic that Geoffrey Rush did Les Miserables after he won oscar for Shine.
Why is that ironic? Isn’t it coincidental?
Its easy to forget that film and stage are two entirely different mediums, and just because a property works on stage by no way means that it will work on film. Having said that, imo Les Miserables is one of the greatest musicals of the 20th century, and Universal has chosen an outstanding director and I look forward to his vision of it on film.
Also, I think the only way Hooper could ruin it is if he tries to put the stage musical on film, as Andrew Lloyd Webber disastrously did with the Phantom of the Opera.
And Susan Stroman did even more literally with The Producers.
So preferably actors who can sing and not singers who “can” act…
Jean Valjean – Hugh Jackman (he deserves a baity, high-profile musical role, he also has that unique quality : he can be convincing as a rugged, rough ex-con AND a gentleman, as well, and whoever plays Valjean, HAS TO possess that quality…I guess Daniel Day-Lewis could be excellent but after Nine I don’t think he will make another musical and frankly I want Jackman to FINALLY get an opportunity to showcase his remarkable talent – I mean come on…the guy is an action star who can sing and dance AND worked with visionaries like Aronofsky, Nolan and Luhrmann)
Javert – Colin Firth (it would be genius to give him the villain’s part this time around, he could pull it off brilliantly and it would be a nice way to prove his versatility AND an excellent post-Oscar project that could easily earn him a post-Oscar nod, something that’s always crucial when it comes to Oscar-winners)
Cosette – Emmy Rossum (she can sing, she can act and she has that innocent look, the part requires)
Fantine – Keira Knightley (she could easily play Cosette, as well BUT I think she could actually do WONDERS to this part, I genuinely think she could be a phenomenal Fantine, truly memorable)
Marius Pontmercy – Robert Pattinson (he needs prestige-projects to prove himself post-Twilight and a small role in this would look impressive on his resume)
Éponine – Carey Mulligan (in the right hands, Éponine is a grateful part, small but baity, and it could be a good excercise pre-My Fair Lady)
M. Thénardier – Jim Broadbent (I honestly can’t think of anyone else who could be a better choice considering his work in Nicholas Nickleby and Moulin Rouge!)
Mme. Thénardier – Helena Bonham Carter (she is always a divine villain, I also think she was criminally overlooked for Sweeney Todd)
Bishop Myriel – Geoffrey Rush (crucial role, it would be nice to see him shine again)
And yes, I kind of suggested a full-on The King’s Speech-reunion…sue me!
phantom , most of the people on your list are not theatre singers. Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, and Robert Pattinson are not known for having strong singing voices. But, I agree about Hugh Jackman. I still don’t understand why the beyond gifted Jackman is not picky about his film choices- he continues to waste his talent on crap.
As much as i LOOOOVE Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter, I was sorely underwhelmed by their singing in Mamma Mia and Sweeney Todd, respectively. Javert is one of my favorite musical theater roles ever, and I hope they pick someone who can really sing it.
True BUT Knightley sang rather well in The Edge of Love, Mulligan is the frontrunner to play Eliza Dolittle so she HAS TO have a good singing voice or at least I hope she does (hopefully they won’t pull another ‘Marni Nixon’) and though my knowledge about Pattinson’s voice is rather vague, I read somewhere a while back that he is some kind of a singer already in a band or something.
Bottom line : with further vocal training, these 3 should be more than capable of pulling these roles off.
I’ve heard Knightley and Mulligan sing, and they both have weak, thin voices. That might work ok for songs in My Fair Lady, but for Fantine and Eponine in Les Miz you need actresses with STONG, BROADWAY BELTER voices that blow you away with their power. Actresses like Lea Michelle, Idina Menzel, and Kristen Chenoweth have those voices because they were actual Broadway musical stars. Same with Sara Ramirez from Grey’s Anatomy, who has an amazing belter voice that she showed off in her Tony-winning role in Spamalot. If you want “name” actresses that can actually belt a song, than you need people like Catherine Zeta Jones, Anne Hathaway, Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Adams, Nicole Kidman, and Renee Zellweger.
I can see them casting a name actress for Fantine, but I really think they should cast unknown actresses for Eponine and Cosette, especially since those two characters are supposed to be teenagers. Look how well it turned out when they cast an unknown as Tracy Turnblat in Hairspray – Nikki Blonsky is a terrific singer and was perfect for the part! I’d love to see the same thing happen here for the younger characters in the show.
I agree that someone needs to grab Jackman, shake him up and say “pay attention!” when it comes to picking roles. He has that two week “try out” in May at the Curran. JVJ is a role he could knock out of the park and with a director like Hooper it could be look at the pretty gold statue time. We are overdue for a great musical film and these two could deliver.
Jackman would be perfect for Jean Val Jean … both younger as the crude criminal and aged as the mayor. He has the power to play the part. The rest of the cast. Hollywood for a change has some great voices not to mention the Broadway stage. This is almost the perfect time to bring a great musical to film.
If you haven’t heard Jackman sing “Once Before I go”… Don’t worry about those high notes in Bring Him Home. He’ll get there.
Can Jackman do the high notes in Bring Him Home though? He could be a viable Javert as well. It’s worth looking at both parts to see what fits. I just think he could play a terrific bad guy here. No danger of Javert being a caricature. He’d have depth. If he can manage Valjean’s range, though, I say go for it.
Anthony Head has to be in this. Has to. He’s got the range for Valjean. I don’t expect them to give it to him just because there’ll be pressure to cast a bigger name like Jackman, but he could do it. Here he is singing “Anthem” from Chess, acapella which is no slouch: http://bit.ly/dPl97P and “Behind Blue Eyes” http://bit.ly/cZujEW Ioan Gruffudd needs a place behind that barricade. He can sing, smolder, look good in period costume. What else do you need?
I actually think James Fox would be an interesting Marius. (Just keep Nick Jonas far far away from this movie. Zac Efron too.) Coincidentally, here’s Fox singing “Anthem” live with an orchestra. http://bit.ly/Quhmn It’s actually a shame they had Katherine Jenkins step in with him at the end. He was doing fine by himself, and she just drowns him out. You’ll have to imagine him with hair. He shaved his head in this video.
I thought Foxx was fine in Draemgirls, but they’re never going to cast an actor in his 40′s to play a TEENAGER. Though I do like the idea of color-blind casting. Perhaps Beyonce as Fantine?
Not Jamie Foxx, James Fox. Young, white, Welsh stage actor. He’s in his 30s is the only problem.
Yes! The only thing that could ruin this is a Jonas bro. I watched him in the concert version and it was almost painful to see him the stage with those fantastic singers.
hasn’t Hollywood from “Nine”?
Cue a Jonas brother as Marius. Ick.
How about getting people who are right for the role instead of “names.”
The only successful musicals of past decade were ones that had a large ensemble of big name stars (Hairspary, Chicago, Dreamgirls, Mamma Mia). The ones that had lesser knowns (Rent, Phantom, and I’m sorry, but Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick are not A-list movie stars) all flopped. It’s all about the money.
This is amazing! I am so happy that this is all coming together. There could not be a more perfect project for Hooper. Great job ICM for getting this done. I cannot wait to see the finished product!
Me too!! Really excited that this great musical is finally getting a movie! And sooo happy that a brilliant historical-movie director like Hooper is directing! As long as they cast actors who can actually SING REALLY WELL, this movie is going to be great!
Hugh Jackman is a great song-and-dance man with a terrific voice – but it’s not in the vocal league you need to be in to sing Jean Valjean. And Firth – would love to see him in a villain role – has a light, pretty singing voice that’s at odds with the bass role Javert.
They should get Paolo Szot from “South Pacific” to play Javert. As to Jean Valjean – I don’t really know who, movie star-wise, has the vocal chops for it.
That’s great news! This is really an amazing musical that could become one of the best movies of its year. The main problem, like in most musical-theatre adaptations, will be to be able to turn the play into a movie without making it feel like a high budget filmed stage version, like so many musical movies that are really claustrophobical.
Hugh Jackman. No doubt here. Let´s hope someone will contact him and offer him Vealjean (or even Javert)
If you don’t get Alfie Boe to play ValJean, then don’t waste your time making the movie.
He is unbelievable!!!!!!!! The best!!!!!!!
Makes sense. Caters to much the same audience. They won’t be disappointed.
This will be great; global sales will be excellent. Victor Hugo saves Hollywood.
I’m betting they’ll be casting Alfie Boe as Valjean. He sang the part in the 25th anniversary concert and will be playing the role in London this summer. I think mackintosh is grooming him for the part.
Thank you. Alfie Boe was my first thought too. I didn’t think anyone could surpass Colm Wilkinson’s original performance, but Boe was a true revelation from both a vocal and acting standpoint. Cast him and put the starrier names in other roles. The film won’t work if the actor playing Valjean can’t knock it out of the park vocally.
To me, Robert Marien remains the definitive Valjean. He’s performed the role in both English and French, in Paris, London, New York and Montreal, and bring a depth of emotion and power to the role that Alfie can’t touch (and Colm just leaves me cold).
I sincerely hope Hooper has learned better technique since the amateurish direction of “King’s Speech,” especially since “Les Miz” is going to require a much larger budget and more spectacle. Though, to be frank, if all of the scenes in “Les Miz” are actually in focus, it will be a huge improvement over “King’s Speech.”
Isn’t the Jean Valjean part promised to Opera hottie Alfie Boe who headlined the 25th Anniversary concert at the o2 Arena ?
As far as I am concerned, there is only ONE person meant to do the role of Jean Valjean, and it’s the one most everyone is already clamoring for: Hugh Jackman. Before I even heard Tom Hooper was doing a film version (and before I knew whether his would be a musical or not), I said to my husband that I would really like to see Mr. Jackman do this. I am a huge fan of both Hugh Jackman and Les Miserable — the book as well as the stage musical. This would be a dream come true! And believe me, I’m not usually a gushy fangirl.
LUKE EVANS as MARIUS!
Great news. I would like to see Gerard Butler play Javert. He played the Phantom in the the movie version of ALW’s The Phantom of the Opera so he has the experience and definitely has the right physical presence and vocal chops for the role of Javert. And I think he would be a good match if they get Hugh Jackman. Butler took a lot of heat that he wasn’t vocally a “Michael Crawford”,but Butler is talented vocally and could do the role of Javert justice on the big screen. Someone suggested Colin Firth but he would really have a hard time vocally in that role. I hate to say it but did you hear him sing in Mamma Mia?
Please keep nick Jonas as far away from this project as possible. Justin Scott Brown on the US tour would be great Marius. By all means sprinkle a few movie names around for excitement and to attract the non les mis fans. Hugh Jackman as Val Jean works as does Geoffrey Rush. It would be great to give a few broadway/west end performers a shot at the BIG SCREEN…