Oh, Barrowman as Thenardier would be hilarious. Half the fun would be from playing so completely against type. For something closer to what he usually plays, he might be a good choice as Enjolras.
On second thought, Barrowman as Enjolras might be a problem, because then Marius probably won't end up with Cosette OR Eponine.
He can sing. This is probably a better showcase of his voice, though (I couldn't resist the Les Mis in the first video)
And to just to show his singing and comedic talent. [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJvPjelxxj0&feature=related[/yt]
Nice Les Mis tie in there too, with Ruthie Henshall! I actually didn't think I've ever seen her outside of her performance of Fantine in Les Mis for the 10th anniversary. She's actually pretty hot without that blonde wig!
Alright, I'm convinced! John Barrowman for... who, Enjolras or Thendier? As much fun as Master of the House is, Enjolras' bits are so much more... awesome.
How about Josie Lawrence as Madame Thénardier? Here she is showing her singing and comedic talents: [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b6ZUwFvDVo&playnext=1&list=PL3E09FC47C00F199F[/yt]
Reviving this thread, apparently Hooper is indeed going after Hugh Jackman to play Valjean. I thought of him more as Javert, but he'd be good in that role too.
Deadline is reporting that Paul Bettany is in talks to play Javert. http://www.deadline.com/2011/06/if-...l-paul-bettany-play-javert-in-les-miserables/
Bettany turned down the role of King George VI in The King's Speech, so perhaps he's reconsidered working with Hooper in light of subsequent developments.
I've never heard Bettany sing and can't find any YouTube of it, but he could certainly pull off the sinister nature of Javert. And Jackman as Valjean is definitely a plus as well (even if he's not Colm Wilkinson ). If Javert and Valjean are good, that's a huge part of making this thing work. I think Eponine might actually be the third most important role when it comes to pop-cultural awareness, yeah? Lea Michelle's big enough now from Glee and she's done Eponine before, so that should be a pretty natural decision I'd think. On a humorous note, if anybody here is fans of the Channel Awesome crew - Nostalgia Critic, Linkara, Spoony, etc. - the Nostalgia Chick just recently did a review of the Les Mis musical where several of them break into "One Day More" at the end. And considering they're a bunch of random internet reviewers, they do a decent job at it.
I mentioned Michele earlier, though I'm not sure whether she could fit this into her Glee filming schedule (Rachel could be sequestered with tuberculosis for a few episodes, maybe, though I'm not sure the producers would be keen on giving her up for that long, even if the cast is huge). She turned down the role of Eponine on Broadway to do Spring Awakening, so if they did get her for the film it'd be kind of funny.
Far as I'm concerned, Glee can jump off a bridge if it interferes with Les Mis. And I can't really imagine the Glee crew passing up the opportunity to raise her star higher. She did do the role in a 2008 concert at the Hollywood Bowl, and you can find (not very good) videos of it on YT. This might be the best I found: [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNFO7YQKL3I&feature=related[/yt]
If she's graduating at the end of next season, her star will be of little concern to them (though I'm not convinced that franchise is really done with Lea or a bunch of the others). They accomodated her doing New Year's Eve earlier this season (why, Lea, why?), but that was only a few days' work and didn't entail missing any episodes. This would be a much bigger commitment. In other casting speculations, after Daniel Radcliffe's success with How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, he might be a good choice for one of the younger male parts.
I'm thinking cross-promotion/using her casting as Eponine to boost Glee (not that it really needs more, I suppose). Fair point though. Radcliffe as Marius? My first reaction is he's too young, but he's 21 now and only 3 years younger than Michele, soo... that could work, assuming he can sing. I doubt he could pull off Enjolras, but maybe. I still like Barrowman as Enjolras. Definitely too old for Gavroche. Though that would make Anne Hathaway too old for Cosette I suppose? I dunno, maybe not (not IMO, but next to Radcliffe, perhaps). If so maybe her as Fantine? Though a bit young for Fantine maybe
He did Brotherhood of Man at the Tonys a few days ago, and I thought he sounded pretty good (with bonus American accent). Actually, I thought his dancing was more impressive, but Les Miserables isn't really a dance musical. Isn't Barrowman a little old for Enjolras? He's supposed to be a young student.
Yeah, I guess you're right. Shame, but oh well. Thenardier would be a possibility. I'm guessing they'll have to cut it down a bit to make a regular feature-length film. Perhaps eliminate Gavroche entirely? I love the kid, but his part would be the easiest to eliminate I think.