Originally Posted By dagobert During the Walt Disney Studios Live Action panel, Alan Horn introduced a new movie starring Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp. So Disney is still counting on Johnny Depp after the Lone Ranger. In the next years we will get to see him in POTC 5, Alice in Wonderland 2 nd now Into the Woods. I read on InsideTheMagic.net, that Into the Woods will be a musical movie. Does that mean we can expect a film like Sweeney Todd? Or will it be just an adaption of the musical, without any singing?
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>It is a Sondheim musical - it will be faithful to the source material.<<< So that means there will be singing. Meryl Streep is a good singer, at least she did a good job in the Mamma Mia movie. But I'm not so sure about Depp. I didn't like Sweeney Todd and hardly remember Depp's performance.
Originally Posted By SoThisIsLove A gorgeously written cautionary fairy tale for grownups. It is brilliant. Meryl has the acting chops to bring off the Witch and I'm sure they'll have her sing "Children Will Listen" in the manner it deserves. Johnny as the Wolf? Works for me. I believe their Red, however is far too young. Are they going to "G" the songs up in order to keep it un-purvy? I'd rather see Anna Kendrick as Red! However, she'll be a brilliant Cinderella. Chris Pine as a Prnce? Perfect!
Originally Posted By SoThisIsLove Oh, and dagobert, unless they depart radically from the musical, it will be mostly singing. Very little written dialogue. Even if this blows your mind, give it a try. The original "Into The Woods" has been streaming on Netflix or you can rent it. Bernadette Peters was magnificent as the Witch.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I saw a local production of it (by a very well-done community theater group) a couple years ago and thought it was entertaining enough, but I didn't get what all the fuss was about. Like dagobert, I saw the movie of Sweeney Todd but didn't really enjoy it; I guess Sondheim shows just aren't for me Here's the movie's IMDB page which shows the cast: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180411/">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180411/</a> I've also read that internet star Sophia Grace (one of those obnoxious little British girls) has been cast as Red Riding Hood. As has been pointed out by others, the sexual nature of her relation to the wolf (and Sophia Grace's lack of any discernable talent) makes the 10-year-old and interesting choice for the role With all of the big names in the cast, the usually high production cost of a musical, and the already lukewarm reception from theater fans, it will be interesting to see how this one does at the box office
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>...it will be mostly singing. Very little written dialogue.<< For me, this tends to be a turn-off. Especially in a live setting, I have a hard time understanding what is being said (as a musician, I get caught up listening to the music), and it makes it tough to follow the story. Film versions are typically easier to follow and understand, but still aren't my favorite
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>Oh, and dagobert, unless they depart radically from the musical, it will be mostly singing. Very little written dialogue. Even if this blows your mind, give it a try. The original "Into The Woods" has been streaming on Netflix or you can rent it. Bernadette Peters was magnificent as the Witch.<<< I don't care about singing. In fact I love musicals. This movie sounds really interesting and besides Saving Mr. Banks and Tomorrowland, this one is the most interesting upcoming Disney movie.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>Meryl Streep is a good singer,<< Good God, no she's not! Aaaargh! Blehh! Ewwww!
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA I'm a huge fan of the stage musical "Sweeney Todd" by Stephen Sondheim -- it's easily one of my favorite musicals of all time. The movie -- eh, not so much. Was it faithful to the source material? Sort of. When they eliminated the 'Ballad of Sweeney Todd' from the beginning of the movie, they kind of lost me. And it's a shame that people who get cast in musicals can't sing (see: Helena Bonham Carter) 'Les Miserables' is another movie musical that sort of skewed off the runway.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>"Meryl Streep is a good singer" Good God, no she's not! Aaaargh! Blehh! Ewwww!<< Well, she's better than Pierce Brosnan!
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Which of these actors, having recently appeared in a movie musical, actually has the ability to sing well? a. Johnny Depp b. Helena Bonham Carter c. Russell Crowe d. Renee Zellweger e. none of the above In case you're wondering, my answer is 'e' -- none of the above. Thing is, Hollywood has done this for decades when it comes to movie musicals. Natalie Wood, when she played Maria in the movie 'West Side Story' was dubbed. Why did they not just use Carol Lawrence who originated the role on Broadway? Most audiences didn't know her. Heck, they even dubbed Rita Moreno's voice as Anita -- even though she could sing just fine! Julie Andrews lost the part of Eliza Doolittle in the movie version of "My Fair Lady" -- to Audrey Hepburn, who, while charming and a wonderful actor, just doesn't have the pipes. (Julie Andrews, of course, got the role of Mary Poppins and won the Oscar over Hepburn that year) In "The Sound of Music" Christopher Plummer, who played Captain Von Trapp, was dubbed by Bill Lee -- who had a huge career as a 'dubber.' Lee's voice has appeared in many Disney movies as well. Even strange performances in musicals have been dubbed. Charlie's mom in the original 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' was dubbed. Weird. Why not just cast a actress who can sing? And one of the biggest musical stinkers of all "Lost Horizon" where Olivia Hussey, Liv Ullmann and Peter Finch are all dubbed! Still couldn't save it. And I disagree about Meryl Streep -- I thought she was great in "Mamma Mia" -- This YouTube video, while sort of random, shows that there's a nice voice in there. <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXCN_N5FPEI">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...N_N5FPEI</a>
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Watching modern musicals, I've often wondered why they don't dub them any more. I have no problem with them wanting star power, but it just seems strange that they'd be willing to sacrifice the quality so much for it. Animated movies do it pretty often, yet it's uncommon in live action One of the notable exceptions to that in recent years was the original High School Musical, where Zac Effron (an unknown at the time) was dubbed. Then in the 2nd and 3rd films, he did his own singing and sounded just fine, but nothing like the dubber. Just a very strange situation
Originally Posted By mawnck >>Well, she's better than Pierce Brosnan!<< That's a heckuva benchmark. Bull seals fighting over beach rocks are better than Pierce Brosnan. >>And I disagree about Meryl Streep -- I thought she was great in "Mamma Mia"<< This baffles me. She absolutely slaughtered those poor defenseless songs. Amanda Seyfried was the only lead in that movie that had any business even attempting to sing. >>This YouTube video, while sort of random, shows that there's a nice voice in there.<< No, it shows that there was a nice voice in there about 20 years ago. The Mamma Mia era clips are shaky at best. >>Then in the 2nd and 3rd films, he did his own singing and sounded just fine, but nothing like the dubber.<< A year of intense vocal coaching (and some heavy duty studio trickery) can sometimes produce a tolerable performance where none was previously possible.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "Charlie's mom in the original 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' was dubbed. Weird. Why not just cast a actress who can sing?" WEIRD!!!
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>In this version of Into the Woods, Johnny Depp gives a new, offbeat twist to the role of the wolf, wearing a small pig carcass on his head. Depp's characterization is said to include elements of Jim Morrison, baseball great Joe Garagiola and legendary radio personality Wolfman Jack. "It'll be unlike any other character we've ever seen from Johnny," said Robert Iger, at a recent investors conference. "But fans will surely see little nods to the Mad Hatter, Capt. Jack Sparrow, Tonto and other beloved Johnny Depp creations."<< <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ProbablyNotEntirelyAccurateButCouldBe.com">http://www.ProbablyNotEntirely...ldBe.com</a>
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>A year of intense vocal coaching (and some heavy duty studio trickery) can sometimes produce a tolerable performance where none was previously possible.<< Sure, but why bother going through the hassle of dubbing in the first palce for a no-name actor in a Disney Channel Original Movie? It's not like it was Audrey Hepburn making a major theatrical release; it was some kid getting cast in a made-for-TV movie. Why not just find a kid who could sing in the first place? Like Charlie's mother in Willie Wonka, it just seems like a very strange casting choice
Originally Posted By mawnck >>It's not like it was Audrey Hepburn making a major theatrical release; it was some kid getting cast in a made-for-TV movie.<< ... with a soundtrack CD. >>Why not just find a kid who could sing in the first place?<< Why should they? Welcome to the fun world of show biz. Why does anybody get cast for anything? 9 times out of 10, you probably don't want to know.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<"It'll be unlike any other character we've ever seen from Johnny," said Robert Iger, at a recent investors conference.>> Couldn't that be said of every character Depp has ever done?
Originally Posted By skinnerbox I so much don't want to be disappointed in this film! Into the Woods and Company are my favorite Sondheim musicals, with Sweeney Todd as runner-up. That being said, the Burton version of Sweeney Todd was disappointing. Angela Lansbury will always be Mrs Lovett. Helena Bonham Carter just didn't cut it for me, even though I love almost everything she's ever done. I fear Meryl Streep, also one of my favorite actresses, will serve up a similar let down as the Witch. That role will always belong to Bernadette Peters. I simply cannot imagine any other actress in that role. Original cast members often define the roles that forever stick in your memory like superglue. I'm trying not to get my hopes up for this cast, especially given the Sweeney Todd letdown. But I so much want this film to work and be as stellar as the original cast production.
