New "My Fair Lady" film. Not a joke!

[tsom]

http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=28676

[Escapay]

Interesting, look forward to seeing it.

Albert

[Flanger-Hanger]

Could be interesting. But then again the Don Bluth animated version would have been even more so, if an odd choice for the medium.

[BelleGirl]

If Keira Knightly is cast as Eliza Doolittle, well her voice bu dubbed like they did with Audry Hepburn? I cannot recall she is know for her singing voice!

There are a few actors who can sing as well - but most of them are already somewhat older - maybe Amy Adams would be a good candidate?

Wonder who will play professor Higgins!

[Disneykid]

At first I was against the idea considering how great the 1964 version is. Upon reading the article, however, I have to admit I'm intrigued. Making the presentation less stagey and fleshing out Eliza's character (as well as adding elements from the original Pygmalion) is intriguing to me.

This might sound blasphemous, but I kind of hope they cut out Eliza's father from this version. I always felt his storyline was just filler. It didn't go much of anywhere, and it's awfully isolated from the main plot. Heck, if you edit it completely out of the current film version, you'd end up with absolutely no continuity errors or plot holes. It's kind of sad for me to say it because Stanley Holloway admittedly was great in the role, and "Get Me to the Church on Time" is one of my favorite songs from the musical. I just can't see them including so much of the original show/film while adding other elements without the whole thing feeling bloated. Getting rid of Alfred's storyline gives them more time to expand on Eliza's.

[UmbrellaFish]

Hmm... I like the idea. Wouldn't it be nice if they had Julie Andrews (and maybe some of the other original actors from the play and the film) do a cameo? Anyway, Disneykid, I agree with you. I thought that the first time I saw the movie.

[tsom]

I'm pretty much excited for this!!!! The original is beautiful, but I'm not against this version! Using real location and speaking to a more contemporary audience sounds very exciting!

I have a feeling that Julie Andrews might get the role of Mrs. Higgins. Considereing that the role doesn't require singing is a good thing since unfortunately Ms. Andrews can't sing anymore.

Disneykid, I agree with you. It's a beautiful story, but Alfred Doolittle slows it down for me. I doubt that they'll cut him out.

I can see Keira in the role. And yes, she CAN sing. Check this out:

http://www.dlisted.com/node/26272

[SpringHeelJack]

As much as I... would not loathe Keira Knightley in this role, in my dreams Anne Hathaway is playing Eliza Doolittle. I think she'd be absolutely perfect. Keira can sing okay, but Anne has training and I've heard her do some intense stuff before.

I sincerely doubt they'd cut out Alfred Doolittle. Maybe cut or trim his songs, but they wouldn't give him the ax entirely.

[UmbrellaFish]

Anne Hathaway kinda looks like Audrey Hepburn.

[my chicken is infected]

Could be interesting. But then again the Don Bluth animated version would have been even more so, if an odd choice for the medium.

I don't know...if The King And I is any indication of how an animated remake of a movie musical can be like...

[Flanger-Hanger]

Could be interesting. But then again the Don Bluth animated version would have been even more so, if an odd choice for the medium.

I don't know...if The King And I is any indication of how an animated remake of a movie musical can be like...

That was Richard Rich, I'm sure Bluth would have handled things differently for Lady. It's kind of hard to add unfunny stereotypes and pointless villains with magic powers in this musical.

[Mooky]

Wait a minute... Is Don Bluth working on an animated version or he planned to do it back in the '90s?

[JiminyCrick91]

Wait a minute... Is Don Bluth working on an animated version or he planned to do it back in the '90s?

Planned. Fox was only going to let him do an animated version of Anastasia OR My Fair Lady. So he picked Anastasia.

[Dottie]

I'm not really sure what to think about this. I love the original movie because it is so artsy and designed and stage-like and I doubt that anyone can be a better Higgins than Rex Harrison, because it is not only about who plays Eliza, but also Higgins, as he is probably the most important person in the whole play with the most change in character and Harrison was perfect, so I can't imagine anyone else playing this part.
About Keira Knightley, I like her and her acting, but first she has to gain like at least 15 pounds to look normal again and she can't really sing that well, at least not so well to carry such a well-beloved musical like My fair Lady. Of course her being English would make it easier with accent and such, but I doubt she can pull it off as Audrey Hepburn did with the ditch girl. She could do the lady part pretty well, but the flower girl with the Cockney accent, not so much.
I quite like the idea of casting Anne Hathaway, because she looks the part, she has already had accent training which might need a little more practicing but is already pretty good and she has a classically trained voice which would allow her to finally show this talent and a voice that would fit the score.
Didn't she once say that her idol is actually Audrey Hepburn?

[PrincePhillipFan]

I have a few mixed feelings here on this news. As Dottie said, I don't think nothing will ever top the original, as I think it's pretty much perfect the way it is. Also the fact I think that Rex Harrison IS and always will be Higgins to me in my mind.

That said though, I'm still curious about this news and wonder what it might be like. Hearing that others who actually have high regard and experience in stage versions of it make me have high hopes that they'll bring justice to it. I think Anne Hathaway would be a perfect choice as well considering her experience, and I can imagine her as Eliza. Not really sure about Higgins, but I think that Kelsey Grammer from the touring version would be a good choice. His character Fraser Crane already seemed to have that pompous nature of Higgins anyway.

but Kenworthy and Mackintosh intend where possible to shoot the film on location in the original London settings of Covent Garden, Drury Lane, Tottenham Court Road, Wimpole Street, and Ascot racecourse.

I appreciate their effort to make it realistic as possible, but I think a lot of the look of those places have probably changed since 1912 in a number of ways.

[tsom]

Keira is Eliza Doolittle!!!

Daniel Day-Lewis might be Higgins!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... emake.html

[Cordy_Biddle]

I'd love to be pleasantly surprised by the remake, but only if they cast someone who ISN'T Keira Knightley in the role of Eliza (though I must confess I thought Knightley was outstanding in "Pride and Prejudice"--but that was an entirely different role with it's own unique disciplines).

Yes, I'd love to see Laura-Michelle Kelly or a similarly talented stage actress play the role (lets give one lucky thespian girl the chance Julie Andrews never had), but the choice is going to come down to box-office appeal and the almighty dollar.

And if the movie flops, it will just highlight how sublime the original is.

[SpringHeelJack]

And if the movie flops, it will just highlight how sublime the original is.

Well... not necessarily. Flop does not equal bad, it means the audiences don't care for one reason or another. It could be because the original is pretty solid, or it could be because audiences today simply don't want to sit through any film version of "My Fair Lady". It doesn't matter how good a movie is, you can't force audiences to pay to see it.

[Marianne81]

This actually sounds interesting. My Fair Lady has never been my favorite musical, so I feel less protective of it, even though I adore Audrey Hepburn.

Keira might be good if she can pull off the singing. Anne Hathaway would be an excellent choice as well.

Daniel Day-Lewis? I don't know. I know he's a marvelous actor, but honestly the first person who came into my head when I read the thread title was the wonderful Colin Firth. He can do no wrong in my opinion.

[tsom]

One of my worries is the length of the movie. The original is already 170 minutes. This new version will incorporate things from Pygmalion, making it longer. Can you imagine people these days sitting through a 3 hour musical? Personally, I don't mind. Will there even be an intermission?

Then again, people sat through the 195 minutes of Titanic, so anything is possible!