"King's Speech" director to take on "Les Miserables"

[Kestrel]

Hmm... Taylor Swift as Eponine strikes me as an unlikely/perhaps not the best choice. I could absolutely see her as Cosette, but Eponine? She does a nice bubbly-country and sweetness sound, but does Taylor have the chops for belting out "On My Own?" I really wish they'd gone with Lea Michele since she apparently auditioned and she does a damned good Eponine. We'll see how it goes, hopefully she surprises me - I want her to surprise me!

That article also offers some interesting other tidbits I don't think I'd known. According to Wiki, the cast as it stands now is:

Valjean - Hugh Jackman
Javert - Russell Crowe
Fantine - Anne Hathaway
Thenardier - Sacha Baron Cohen
Mme. Thenardier - Helena Bonham Carter
Marius - Eddie Redmayne
Enjolras - Aaron Tveit
Eponine - offered to Taylor Swift
Cosette - Amanda Seyfried in final negotiations.

Except for my Taylor Swift misgivings and not knowing who Redmayne or Tveit are (both apparently have solid theatre experience), this cast looks great IMO.

ETA: And I have no strong opinions about Seyfried as Cosette because I've never cared all that much about Cosette either way, to be honest. Taylor Swift as Cosette would be a win in my books, but oh well!

[Vanyel]

I wonder if maybe the mods could sticky this thread? So it won't keep getting resurrected.

I'm not happy with her either. On My Own, is one of the jewels, if not the center jewel, in this musical. I'd hate it if weren't belted out with the emotion that Lea Michele or Lea Salonga put into it; I' really hate if it had a country twang to it.

[nvek86]

What happened to Geoffrey Rush as Thenardier?
Cohen will probably be good in the role, he had a similar part in Sweeney Todd, but I was really looking forward to Rush's version.

[JarodRussell]

I was just thinking "Again?!" There has been the Liam Neeson version not too long ago. Yeah, yeah, 1998. But let me tell you something: The Big Lebowski, Armageddon and Saving Private Ryan are from 1998, too. The Matrix, The Phantom Menace and The Green Mile are from 1999. Time passes much slower now.

[CaptainCanada]

nvek86 wrote:

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What happened to Geoffrey Rush as Thenardier?

That was rumoured, not official (though the Carter part came through).

Amanda Seyfried's a good choice for Cosette. Swift, I'm skeptical about, but presumably Hooper and co. think they can make it work.

[Hunter X]

JarodRussell wrote:

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I was just thinking "Again?!" There has been the Liam Neeson version not too long ago. Yeah, yeah, 1998. But let me tell you something: The Big Lebowski, Armageddon and Saving Private Ryan are from 1998, too. The Matrix, The Phantom Menace and The Green Mile are from 1999. Time passes much slower now.

The 1998 movie was an adaptation of the book. This one is an adaptation of the musical. People are going to see this one just as much for the songs as the story (as evidenced by concern over Swift's ability to perform On My Own).

Also, Carter as Mme. Thenardier is immediately easy to picture, great casting. The rest of the big names included should make this one quite the event when it comes out.

[Temis the Vorta]

clint g wrote:

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Miniseries based off the book. Something along the lines of The Tudors. I've never been much of a musical person.

I'd go for that. I've never seen the musical but I read the book (even tho I generally do like musicals). Seyfried is right on target with my idea of Cosette. The others are a much bigger stretch. Jackman is far, far, far too much of a hunk for Jean Valjean. Russell Crowe would be closer. They should flip those two roles.

[Kestrel]

CaptainCanada wrote:

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Swift, I'm skeptical about, but presumably Hooper and co. think they can make it work.

Pretty much how I feel on second thought. And she could certainly look the part of a thin, waifish undernourished young woman somewhere between Hugo's "pitiable creature" and the musical's Tragically Beautiful Hypotenuse.

Hunter X wrote:

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The 1998 movie was an adaptation of the book. This one is an adaptation of the musical. People are going to see this one just as much for the songs as the story (as evidenced by concern over Swift's ability to perform On My Own).

Exactly. And, with all due respect to Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush who made a great Valjean and Javert, the late 90s movie was... rather lacking, especially with how it ended.

[DigificWriter]

I've seen the musical at least twice, and yet had absolutely no idea who the character of Eponine was, so I'm not really sure where this concern over Swift being cast in the role is coming from, although I do think she's more suited - based on who she is - to the role of Cosette.

I would've liked to have seen Geoffrey Rush as part of the cast, but as Javert, since I'd like to see how he'd handle the musical's version of the character after the brilliant (IMO, anyway) performance he turned in in the non-musical film back in '98.

[Vanyel]

Just to show what Swift will be compared to, Lea Salonga, as Éponine, singing On My Own.

[DigificWriter]

Seeing that clip has reminded me who the character of Eponine is, but I'm still not seeing where the concern vis a vis Swift's casting is coming from. We really can't know whether or not Swift is/was the right choice for the role until we actually see/hear her in it.

BTW, Swift's maternal grandmother was an opera singer, and she (Swift) was involved in musical theater when she was younger.

[Vanyel]

But we do know how she sings. I just don't think she's got the range needed for Éponine. Hopefully I'm wrong. If On My Own falls flat, the movie will too.

[DigificWriter]

^ We don't know how she'll sing in this particular role, though. On My Own is admittedly a different style of song than she typically sings, but that doesn't mean that she won't be able to adapt and tackle it.

[Vanyel]

^Like I said, I hope I'm wrong.

[Kestrel]

Vanyel wrote:

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If On My Own falls flat, the movie will too.

That's a bit over the top. It's an excellent and important song (especially in terms of pop cultural impact), but it's not the most important in the whole show.