LES MIS – it’s one of those things about which people who are familiar with it are very excited, and the rest of the world has no idea what it is or what is going on.
Info has been trickling into the internet for the past few months, and with any movie like this, people almost immediately get pretty rabid about the casting, so let’s muse over that for a while.
Hugh Jackman and Russel Crowe are to play Jean Valjean and Javert, respectively. This is so perfect that I have no snarky comment to make about it. I am so excited it makes me feel ill.
Geoffrey Rush will play Thenardier in the new Les Mis movie. Bizarrely, both of these pictures are of him.
Another illness-level-of-excitement-inducing thing: Geoffrey Rush will play Thenardier and will be terrifyingly perfect for the role. Rush was actually already in the crappily adapted 1998 movie(the one with Liam Neeson and Uma Thurman) as Javert, and he did a fine job (as he is a fine actor), but will be more impressive in a borderline caricature role like Thenardier, I think.
Mme. Thenardier will be played by Helena Bonham Carter. All right. Obviously. There is the risk that her in the role will be too similar to her Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd.
Helena Bonham Carter: beautiful enough for Hollywood, strange-looking enough for caricatures.
Anne Hathaway will be Fantine. This will make some people mad – especially considering the unexcited response to Alice in Wonderland. Amy Adams was purportedly also considered for the role, and it’s sort of surprising that she didn’t get it – she seems to be the new Anne Hathaway-type character, with more popular movies (to the younger crowd) lately. This could be good for Hathaway. It could also be bad for the movie. Maybe that’s just because I still define Anne Hathaway by The Princess Diaries.
A shortlist for the role of Eponine has been released, which includes Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Swift, Evan Rachel Wood, and Lea Michele. This is mildly worrisome – some of my reasons might be petty but still, worrisome. Eponine is about 15; Scarlett Johansson is 27 – and wouldn’t easily or believably look much younger (she’s usually made to look older than she is) (look at the woman’s body, for goodness’ sake). At the thought of Taylor Swift, a blonde country singer, being cast as the neglected and not-as-pretty-as-Cosette Eponine, rabid teenage musical theater buffs will gnash their teeth. Lea Michele reportedly “knocked it out of the park” at her audition – but I can’t see how Lea Michele could escape her role as the obnoxious and talented belting alto from Glee. Eponine being such a classic role does nothing to help that – it’s a role that Rachel from Glee would play. I do prefer Lea Michele in terms of her capability for annoyingness over the other 3; Eponine’s role is supposed to be tragic and self-pitying, not demure and victimized.
Eddie Redmayne in The Pillars of the Earth miniseries
Eddie Redmayne (Jack in the Pillars of the Earth Series) will be Marius; he will be appropriately annoyingly earnest and attractive.
They’re actually holding an open casting call for the role of Cosette in NYC. In the context of the rest of the cast, this obviously indicates the young, ingenue quality that the casting directors are looking for – an unknown talent (a la Robin Wright in The Princess Bride) in between Russell Crowe and Geoffrey Rush. It’s a pretty common take on Cosette – it might idealize the character a little too much, but that’s a large part of the novel itself.
Theater geeks are on the prowl as information comes out. There are rumors that the movie might be released in 2013, not 2012, as filming is expected to last through the summer.
What I’m nerdily looking forward to is seeing what they’re going to do with the accents – even though the film is set in France, the theater community is kind of used to hearing everything in cockney (as they all have the original London cast CD) – will they speak with an American accent? With a French accent (like the Russians speaking English with a Russian accent in K-19)? Or will they just throw some British accents in there to make it more foreign-seeming (like in the 1998 Les Miserables, The Prince of Persia, all of the Star Wars movies, Gladiator…)? So we’ll see what choice they make with that. One just hopes the singing will be good.
Culture War Reporters 
Apparently, one of my friends informed me in response to the Taylor Swift thing, Nick Jonas played Marius in the 25th anniversary thing and some people think that he didn’t suck. Could Taylor Swift achieve something similar with the role of Eponine?
But see, the difference there is that Marius is annoying, so it’s okay to have a teeny bopper celebrity play him. Eponine – I am way too attached (and so are a lot of other people, I suspect) to her character and she is way too tragic and awesome to be played by someone culturally inane.
Nick Jonas played Marius before he became a teeny bopper celebrity, so that makes a difference too, I think. He also played Gavroche before that, and has acted in several plays.
Taylor Swift hosted SNL once, and acted in the star-studded “Valentine’s Day.” As far as credentials go, I give the Jonas Brother who’s been on Broadway over the actress who’ll be doing voice-acting for “The Lorax,” also due next year.
In this conversation I am more interested in the social and cultural implications of the casting of each actor than their actual talent, or lack thereof. Sad though this might seem, I think this is consistent with the mindset of producers, casting directors, and many audience members.
And Nick Jonas played Marius (and sang in the 25th ann. concert) just last year; he did indeed perform on Broadway throughout his childhood, but was already established in his role as a teeny bopper celebrity.
Nick Jonas began performing on Broadway at the around seven years old, and played Gavroche in 2003, when he was eleven.
His first appearance on the Disney Channel as well as his first performances with The Jonas Brothers all came after that point.
I’m not denying that, as Marius, he was performing with that reputation already in place. I just think it’s important to state that his first forays into that state of celebrity were founded in theatre and not pop songs.
I agree with your assessment of Hollywood’s tactics when it comes to casting. It’s- a sad thing overall.
You said that his performance of Marius was before his teenybopperdom, which isn’t true. It is true that he started out on Broadway as a child.
Yes, my point is that to the general public, Nick Jonas the personality is a Jonas Brother.
I definitely made a mistake there. I doff my cap to you, etcetera etcetera.
Nick Jonas, not great. Actually very bad. I am super excited about this movie, and scared all at the same time. I have a slight obsession with this show and it needs to be perfect, I’m sure you agree. Not wild about Hathaways singing voice but I really like her as an actress. I am a vocal snob though. Not a super huge fan of Jackmans voice though either. He has a very nasily quality to him at sometimes. Dont know about Crowe but Javert is one of my faves. He effs it up and hes on my poop list. Thenardiers…perfection, although they kind of do need someone equally as repugnant as Geoffrey Rush, fat suit maybe? I love me some Bonham Carter though, tons. Marius….who the eff is this dude? Is he any good. If Empty Chairs doesn’t make me sob like a wee little lass I’m gonna be pissed, and take it out on Cam Mac himself. Cossette…if they have to go with famous, as this is what it looks like, Emmy Rossum…with a few more vocal lessons. She needs to stop sounding like she has no voice. She’s got a good one…just not a great one, and this is one hell of a musical. She could act the part well enough for sure. She has that doting daughter look. Gag. Enjolras’s songs can be thrown away for all I care…although he has that killer note right before the battle…. which Anthony Warlow takes my breath away everytime….although Zac Efron now that hes getting all hot and manly would be some nice eye candy with a little less pop in his voice. Now for the hard part. Eponine, although I hate Francis Ruffles or whatever her name was, she was waifishly believable. As much as I am team Lea Michele, I worry about her as Ep on the big screen, she was dyno at the Rose Bowl BUT, and thats a big ass but, will is translate to film. She a smidge dramatical. Although I think Taylor physically would kill the role, besides her absurd tallities. Her voice makes me sometimes want to burst my own ear drums…youtube….taylor swift and stevie nicks singing Rhiannon. Scarlett Nohansen, enough said. I didn’t know who the hell Evan Wood was, so I googled her and youtubed her. I’ve seen way worse…and she looks like she could have been damaged a time or two in some of her movies. If we are choosing from those 4 I go Wood. Although it should be me 🙂
Two things to make you happy:
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=86473
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2092428/Les-Miserables-movie-Stars-original-stage-version-encore-join-film-cast.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
The jonas brothers are great because they are very talented and good looking too. :