New Castings for Sondheim Make a Party in the Woods

I was scrolling through Tumblr today when I came across this pretty little screenshot of the IMDB page for Stephen Sondheim and Rob Marshall’s upcoming adaptation of Into the Woods.

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Yep, that’s right! The page has exploded with new castings! And I don’t even know where to start! First of all, we’re clearly seeing another star-studded cast as in Mamma Mia and Les Miserables. It’s the price we have to pay for seeing Broadway on the big screen as a Hollywood production. The real question on everyone’s minds, though: The acting talent is clearly here, but can they sing? Or are we in for another Russell “And I am Javert” Crowe fiasco?

Well, James Corden at least has already been tested on the musical stage, with a Tony under his belt. So his casting as the Baker is one less thing to worry about. And according to her IMDB page, newly cast Baker’s wife Emily Blunt was briefly featured in ex-boyfriend Michael Bublé’s song “Me and Mrs. Jones” from his album “Call Me Irresponsible”. And if her bio page can be believed, is known as a “strong alto singer”. Johnny Depp of course had his day as Sweeny Todd, but what about Chris Pine? Or Jake Gyllenhaal? As far as we know, they have never hit a musical note…at least not professionally. And I know that I can’t be the only one with slight concerns.

But you know what? I’m still hoping for a positive attitude. I can’t bear to do otherwise. Because if Disney messes up Sondheim, I think I’m going to cry. Or turn back to Bernadette Peters for some serious Broadway therapy.

Comments? Commiseration? Concerns? Comfort? Post below.

To read our previous article about Into the Woods, click here.

Note: The artwork/poster associated with this article is not the official image for Into the Woods the movie. Adaptation was given permission to use this fan-made piece by its artist, Nathan, whose work can be found on his Tumblr page.

Adaptation #45: Star Trek Into the Bluest Blue

header045The hosts try to hold back the fangirling for as long as possible in this episode on JJ Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness. Dorin brings the Original Series knowledge as they compare the plot, tone and characters to the film, and then decide that Benedict Cumberbatch is everything.

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Adaptation Mini #2: From Page To Screen Interviews – A Bronte Double Feature

miniheader002Finally the second part of the interviews that Kendyl did at the 2012 From Page To Screen festival are out! Olivia Hetreed talks about her work on Wuthering Heights (2011), an adaptation of the Emily Bronte novel and distilling the screenplay down to the very basic relationship in the story. Moira Buffini, screenwriter for Jane Eyre (2011) talks about the baggage that comes with the original Charlotte Bronte novel and the hosts discuss its feminist implications… and the dislike the Bronte’s had for Jane Austen.

Check out Adaptation Mini #1 for interviews with Corinna Wagner and Simon Beaufoy!

A special thanks to everyone at From Page to Screen for making these interviews possible!

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Adaptation #44: Iron Man Suit Up!

header044While mooning over Tony Stark and admiring Pepper’s bad-assery, the hosts discuss their favorite moments of Shane Black’s Iron Man 3. Going through the various story arcs, they compare the film to Marvel canon with the help of Adaptation’s resident Iron Man expert and the 2010 Extremis mini-series.

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A Jane Austen Fan’s Dream Comes True on the Big Screen!

austenland-poster01It is a truth universally acknowledged that any post referencing Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice—no matter how minute the reference—should include some adaptation of said novel’s opening sentence.

There.  Obligation fulfilled.  On to the news, sure to please Janeites everywhere!

Those of us who are still basking in the happy glow that was The Lizzie Bennet Diaries might be happy to hear that yet another Austen-related film is looming on the horizon.  This film, titled Austenland, is sure to hit home among Jane Austen fans, as it centers on the fans themselves for a change.  Based on the book written by award-winning author Shannon Hale, Austenland tells the story of Jane Hayes, a self-proclaimed Janeite who is completely and utterly obsessed with the 1995 Colin Firth version of Mr. Darcy.

Sound familiar to some of you?  Yeah, I’m guilty of the same, too.

To come to grips with her fantastic, albeit unrealistic expectations about love, Jane is sent to—get this—a Jane Austen-themed getaway vacation where women can live out their fantasies of being in a Jane Austen novel, complete with their own fabricated love story.

In other words, my dream come true…or is it?  I won’t give away any spoilers, in case readers choose to search out the book for themselves, which I recommend.  Enough to say that Austenland is a highly enjoyable read and, in my opinion, has the potential to be a great film as well—especially in light of reactions after the movie’s debut at the Sundance Film Festival.

Though purposed to be a romantic-comedy—a genre not normally seen among the films displayed—Austenland has been picked up by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and Sony Pictures Classics for distribution in the UK in September and the United States in August.  Starring such familiar faces as Keri Russell, Jane Seymour and Jennifer Coolidge, Austenland will also mark the directorial debut of Jerusha Hess (co-writer of Napoleon Dynamite) and the first producing project of Twilight author Stephenie Meyer.

Though we have yet to be blessed with a full trailer for this film, an insider’s interview and two 30-second clips have been released to whet the appetites of fans such as me.  With the monikers “Janie’s Got a Gun” and “Unmentionables”, these short clips display a subtle humor that I sincerely hope will be continued throughout the entire film.  Enjoy them here, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Be sure to check out our podcast episode #42 where we discuss The Lizzie Bennet Diaries!

Adaptation #43: The Evil Dead are Coming for Our Souls

headaer043Some of the hosts had a few sleepless nights after seeing Fede Alverez’s Evil Dead, adapted from Sam Raimi’s 1981 film. With a few Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell superfans on the podcast, they have a long discussion of the new and old versions and a few words on the possibility of trigger warnings before films.

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Adaptation #42: All About the EL-BEE-DEE!

header042What?! After a year of Mondays and Thursdays spent in anticipation of a new episode, our Austen-inclined hosts discuss Hank Green and Bernie Su’s The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and its whole new level of audience immersion. We gush over our love for most of the characters, seethe over our hatred for others and sit in awe of the realization that they all had depth that we weren’t initially expecting from this Pride and Prejudice adaptation.

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Adaptation #41: A Host of Issues

header041Our hosts agree that Andrew Niccol’s The Host was a tough movie to make, with source material that had both too much and too little to fit into two hours. While they enjoyed the film, they also feel like it went too far in some areas and not far enough in others.

Also, check out episode #38: Mind, Host and Soul which covers the novel by Stephenie Meyer.

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Adaptation #40: Fee Fi Fo Fum

header040Jess, Jenn and Kendyl get together to discuss Bryan Singer’s film Jack the Giant Slayer, which is definitely worth watching. Though unsure about Isabella’s character, they agree that the film blends Jack and the Beanstalk and Jack the Giant Killer well, while adding some new mythology to the mix.

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The New Catching Fire Trailer Teaser is out!

The new Catching Fire trailer teaser came out finally at the MTV Movie awards to a rapt audience all over the world. Catching Fire, the second installment of The Hunger Games Series, will be premiering on November 22, 2013. Check out the trailer below: Continue reading

Adaptation #39: Nothing to Get Green Over

header039After seeing Sam Raimi’s Oz the Great and Powerful, the hosts finally know which witch is which and some now have gloating rights. They also discuss the film from a visual standpoint, their opinions on the Wicked Witch’s transformation and the Land of Oz in comparison with the original novel and 1939 film.

Check episode #34: The Merry Old Land of Manipulation for our discussion on Baum’s novel and the 1939 film here!

We also have an episode on Dorothy of Oz and the film Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return that you can see here!

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Sondheim Returns to the Woods in a Musical Remake with Meryl Streep

IntoTheWoodsWith so many twisted fairy tales appearing on television and the big screen, Disney will be returning to one of the earliest fairy tale adaptations with a feature film version of Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning musical, Into the Woods. Still in the early stages of planning, Broadway World reported that Disney will be due to start filming in October. Most exciting of all, Meryl Streep has confirmed her role as the Witch in this show – one of the most bad-ass, psychologically complex characters you will find in any reimagined fairy tale! Continue reading

New Trailer for Sea of Monsters Welcomes New Faces and Plot Points

It’s finally happened. Three years after Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief was released in theaters, our wait is nearly over. The next installment of the film series is due to hit theaters this summer, and in the meantime, fans can whet their appetites with this first trailer for Percy Jackson & the Sea of Monsters. Continue reading

Adaptation #38: Mind, Host and Soul

header038Discussing Stephenie Meyer’s The Host gives our hosts plenty to analyze, from the difference between body and mind to the believability of Wanderer’s selflessness and Ian’s understanding. And of course, the Twilight comparisons are inevitable.

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Also, check out our episode on the film!

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Adaptation #37: Hansel and Gretel, So Hot Right Now

header037The team discusses the Grimm Brothers’ Hansel and Gretel and the recent Tommy Wirkola film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. While being semi-divided, they all agree that the Grimm’s were random and the movie was entertaining, if a little under-developed.

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Adaptation #36: What Beautiful Creatures These Mortals Be

header036Episode #36 covers Richard LaGravenese’s film Beautiful Creatures and the hosts were less than impressed. After timidly discussing the movie on its own, the book comparisons come out in full force making the hosts wonder why the movie removed dramatic situations only to add in non-canon ones. And we make a few more hipster jokes…

Check out episode #33: Beautiful Outcasters for our discussion on the novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl!

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Adaptation #35: I Am a Zombie Pregnant with Importance

header035After seeing Jonathan Levine’s film Warm Bodies, the hosts discuss its merits as a film as well as its differences from the original novel. They also spend some time debating the cheese factor, the attractiveness of Rob Corddry and R’s hipster-emo tendencies.

Also check out our episode on the novel by Isaac Marion!

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Adaptation #34: The Merry Old Land of Manipulation

header034In this episode of Adaptation, the hosts discuss L. Frank Baum’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Victor Fleming’s film The Wizard of Oz. Along the way, some burning questions are asked such as would Dorothy really choose Kansas over Oz? And did Glinda get manipulation lessons to Dumbledore or the other way around?

Also check out the episodes on Oz the Great and Powerful and Legend’s of Oz: Dorothy’s Return!

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Adaptation #33: Beautiful Outcasters

header033Our beautiful hosts come together to discuss the novel Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia. After a few writing critiques, they get into some plot and character discussions and then admit their rather high hopes for the film.

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Also check out our episode on the film!

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Adaptation #32: Hot Blood, Warm Bodies

header032In episode #32 Dorin, Nicole and Kendyl discuss Isaac Marion’s Warm Bodies, what’s really in a name and how much ‘magic’ is too much to be believable. They also take a moment to appreciate rooftop kisses and discuss their expectations, high and low, for the upcoming film.

Also check out our episode on the film!

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