DVDizzy Forum

I hate to say it but Donna Murphy is not very beautiful and her as the Witch may not work. I guess Meryl wouldn't either for the beautiful part. You know what scratch that. Let's say they both have enough beauty for it to work.

We last heard that Disney’s Into the Woods movie was rolling into production over a year ago, with the director of 2002′s Chicago aboard to bring to life a version of the stage musical penned by its original writer. And that was exciting enough. But now, in an interview about his new stage musical, that writer, James Lapine, says that Meryl Streep is already on board.

http://www.themarysue.com/meryl-streep-into-the-woods/

Terrible pick on Meryl Streep. She was lousy in Mamma Mia. Why not Donna Murphy, or even Bernadette?

Okay I haven't seen Mama Mia but I just listened to "Winner Takes It All", "Money, Money, Money" and "Mamma Mia" and other songs and she sounded bad some parts, great other parts, and if she sings that fine while acting the hell out of the part, she isn't a terrible choice, but perhaps a great one. Also, the music for the Witch shouldn't be too hard to sing.

And Donna Murphy already played Rapunzel's adopted mom in a movie!

For me, Meryl's work in Mamma Mia! is all I need to be convinced of her ability to play the witch. "Slipping Through My Fingers" is about where "Children Will Listen" is, and "Winner Takes it All" is very "Last Midnight." Obviously she'll be amazing acting-wise. She's gonna be great.

Streep is an excellent choice, and I'll definitely see this now because of her. No, she is not a great singer, but Hollywood films have not cared about that in most their musical-based films, unfortunately (Les Mis, Sweeney Todd, Mamma Mia!). We should be grateful they at least got a great actress in one of the big roles.

Johnny Depp is in talks with Disney to join its bigscreen adaptation of the Broadway musical “Into the Woods.”

Meryl Streep is also in discussions with the Mouse House to join the production to play the evil witch. Rob Marshall (who helmed Disney’s fourth “Pirates of the Caribbean”) will direct the film.

http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/johnny ... 200419236/

For a star of Depp's caliber, the role that makes the most sense is the Baker; unless they decide to fill up the supporting cast with stars, and leave the Baker and his wife to unknowns. But I doubt that.

It's great casting if Depp can play it straight-- the Baker and his wife are the Alices in this wonderland, certainly not the Mad Hatter.

Depp was definitely not my first thought for Baker, and I'm sure someone else could perform the role better. However, if he plays it right and gets through the music, I'm sure it'll be fine...

I believe I read somewhere that the role he would be playing would be the wolf, which makes a lot more sense. Either way, I'm not particularly thrilled about this adaptation.

pinkrenata wrote:I believe I read somewhere that the role he would be playing would be the wolf, which makes a lot more sense. Either way, I'm not particularly thrilled about this adaptation.

It was in The Hollywood Reporter:

Meryl Streep will play the plum role of the vain and charismatic Witch. In what would be a key supporting role, Depp will play a hungry and sexy variation of the fairy tale Wolf, a part usually undertaken in the stage version by the same actor who plays Cinderella's Prince.

I feel like Sotiris.

Albert

Disney Duster wrote:I hate to say it but Donna Murphy is not very beautiful and her as the Witch may not work. I guess Meryl wouldn't either for the beautiful part. You know what scratch that. Let's say they both have enough beauty for it to work.

I think Donna Murphy is very pretty in a unique way. Her ancestry is Irish, German, French and Czech which is a pretty cool mix. Plus she has the pipes. I just thought it would be cool for her to reprise Mother Gothel lol.

But Meryl will be good. She is a good actress and has the star power. I actually enjoyed her in Mama Mia and film and stage are different. As Disney Divinity said Hollywood and Broadway are two different mediums and as we've seen in the films based off of musicals(Les Mis) the singing isn't as big/important as the acting.

There's been conflicting reports regarding the role Depp's eyeing, but the folks on Broadway World seem to think it's the Baker, and they're usually right.

Suggestions for the Baker's Wife have been all over the place, but if indeed Depp is cast, they'll presumably have to go older with the casting of the Baker's Wife-- which would knock out Anne Hathaway, at least. Since the movie is supposed to begin shooting this fall, we'll probably start hearing more and more casting decisions come out through the summer.

I have one request: Julie Andrews for the Giant's Wife. So she can have been in a Sondheim movie musical.

Three thoughts:

Johnny Depp has more than proven his ability for a singing part with Sweeney Todd, it's time he tacked a second Sondheim musical!
Meryl Streep is more than up to the task. I have no doubts on her acting, and only minor concerns about her vocals.
I so so so want Anne Hathaway to be in this. Ever since Les Mis I'm dying to see her in another musical role.

UmbrellaFish wrote:I have one request: Julie Andrews for the Giant's Wife. So she can have been in a Sondheim movie musical.

Oh god yes. Yes. Yes.

Now reports say that James Corden is the Baker. I watched him perform last year on the Tonys and he was really something special.

UmbrellaFish wrote:Now reports say that James Corden is the Baker. I watched him perform last year on the Tonys and he was really something special.

Love James Cordon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvNAEesFPxY
(p/s the girl singing starred in West End's Legally Blonde if you wanted to know)

so Chris Pine (aka Jack Frost) and Jake Gyllenhaal are in talks with disney to play Cinderella’s Prince and Rapunzel’s Prince.....they sure have the looks but do they have the voices? hmm....

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-v ... ing-522404

It seems like vocal ability isn't really a determining factor in this casting process.

Jake Gylenhaal apparently has the voice of an angel according to Baz Luhrmann. He auditioned for Ewan McGregor's role in Moulin Rouge! and almost got it. He was deemed to young for the role back then though. So, no fear when it comes to him.

Well, the Hollywood Reporter mentions both actors sang for Rob Marshall, so musicality is a contributing factor, it seems. If they're getting known actors for the role of Cinderella and Rapunzel's Princes, I wonder who they'll get for Cindy and Punzie. I like the idea of Emmy Rossum as Cinderella and Amanda Seyfried as Rapunzel, but maybe the producers will think three musicals in five years is a bit much for Seyfried (heck, maybe she'll even think that herself). I'd love to see Amy Adams in this, but the only role I can think of for her is the baker's wife (Red Riding Hood should be an actual little girl for once, and I imagine Snow White and Sleeping Beauty as twenty-somethings).