It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
Hmmm, what about Bill and Hillary? They’re free now…
How about Ed Norton? He sang pretty well in Everyone Says I Love You and nailed the accent in Painted Veil. Or you could do Daniel Craig, maybe Viggo Mortensen?
how about ed norton AND brad pitt?…they seem to sing well together…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXFvMrWWCYM
Look down a post…Jeff Bridges! He’s done pretty much everything else, why not try this? Everyone loves the dude.
Assuming they’re staying even remotely faithful to the source material, Henry Higgins will indeed be tough to cast. The biggest stumbling block for many actors will be the fact that Higgins is a friggin’ linguist. George Clooney? Love him, but I’d be stunned if he could pull off the accent. I’m also skeptical of Crowe, Neeson, Jackman and Gere for the same reason. Bale seems too young. Firth and Fiennes seem most feasible of the choices you floated, Dave.
Guys who would’ve been viable choices even a few years ago (Jeremy Irons, Alan Rickman) are now too old for Keira. Jeremy Northam might pull it off, but I’m sure they’ll want a bigger name. Hugh Grant? Doesn’t sound like much of a choice, until you recall his work in the Bridget Jones films, especially the second one.
I assume singing ability won’t be any more of a consideration for this one that it was in the original. In fact, Harrison’s sing-speak has become so associated with the role, that it might actually be odd to hear the original melodies.
jeff bridges would be perfect….
I saw Frank Langella play the role on stage.. very well…
He only gets one ‘stage-to-screen’ card per decade.
Well, let’s wait and see what the critics/public say about Keira’s singing in The Edge of Love. I imagine if she’s ridiculed then they will think more than twice about recasting. And then, who knows, they may go older or younger to accomidate the male they actually want to cast.
er, that was meant to be they won’t have to think twice about recasting. Not sure where I got confused there.
Aw, f’cryin’ out loud. KENNETH BRANAGH, bitches!
Daniel Craig.
Now, THAT’s an interesting one.
Macintosh should leave well enough alone. this is one classic that doesn’t really need a remake. Kiera is no Audrey Hepburn…and certainly no Julie Andrews. the first featured legendary performances. today’s replacements would be also rans. there are more than enough Broadway properties that have yet to be made into musical films. LES MIZ, 42nd STREET, RAGTIME, CATS, JOSEPH/TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, MISS SAIGON, etc etc etc.
I know I have said it before… I would go in a different direction entirely.
Shaw’s play was an anachronism to start with (it helped him achnor the satire on snobbery)… so why not embrace that totally… why not do a re-write and move it across the Atlantic to NY. Same time frame… 1912… Ellis Island immigrants’ accents galore…
Instead of Rex Harrison, put Harrison Ford … (the grumpy frumpy Prof. Hmmm, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch. Not really, because Rex Harrison talked his way through the songs anyway.
For Eliza… I simply don’t like Keira Knightly. If she can sing, get Thandie Newton. Or ZiYi Zhang, Penelope Cruz… she can sing, pretty well from what I remember of Volver.
I admit though, the smaller roles will be absolutely crucial. Who could play Eliza’s father? Or Col. Pickering? Depends obviously on who you cast as Eliza… How about Eva Mendez. Or Rosario Dawson (wasn’t she in Rent? She’s got to be able to sing).
Am I totally insane or am I just offending people’s sensibilities and/or intelligence?
Ewan McGregor.
Tony Leung. Because I like him, not because it’s Panda Time.
Wasn’t Cruz lipsyncing in Volver? Which make it even stranger that they chose that as her Oscar clip.
A remake of My Fair Lady? *shudder*
of all the names mentioned above, the only one I can see in the role is Jeremy Northam!
and Penelope Cruz was dubbed over for the song in Volver by Estrella Morente i believe…
Considering the development hell this is sure to experience, why couldn’t Daniel Day Lewis still play Henry Higgins?
It’s not like “Nine” is going to be in production indefinitely…I’m sure they’ll wrap well before the end of the year, freeing DDL for the “My Fair Lady” remake.
The only question is whether he’d want to re-up for another project so soon (he really doesn’t seem to like working all that much, does he?)…and be up to the challenge of doing two musicals in a row.
Cadavra’s right about Ken Branagh being a reasonably good substitute, though.
McGregor and Craig don’t cut it (for various reasons) as Henry Higgins, and Northam simply isn’t a big enough name.
It’ll be really interesting to see who gets the directing nod.
I’d still love to see Mike Leigh give it a “Topsy Turvy” kind of feel, but journeymen like Joel Schumacher or Julian Jarrold sound closer to the mark. Or maybe they’ll offer the job to Phylidia Lloyd if “Mamma Mia!” is a hit.
Jeremy Northam is the hotness. That nose!
Would a studio wanna hire Schumacher to direct it after Phantom of the Opera? Why not Adam Shankman? He did a great job on Hairspray in actually adapting it for cinema, so why not? It’d be nice to see the genre harvest some names instead of an ever rotating list of names from one musical to the next.
I, for one, am glad Rob Marshall is directing Nine. He showed much more flare for the musical genre than whatever Memoirs of a Geisha was pretending to be.
Pope: Your suggestions are only “totally insane” if you believe any of them have a chance of happening, which I’m sure you don’t. 🙂 Fun to think about though. I might favor such a revision myself, if only because the original version was so indelible. I know lots of cinephiles think it’s too stagy, too set-bound, whatever, but I thought Cukor was wise to keep his focus on the great dialogue, songs and acting. I caught a re-release on the big screen a few years ago and it worked like gangbusters for me.
But an on-location remake with a talented director could be interesting. As always, I guess there’s no point in judging it until I see it.
“why not do a re-write and move it across the Atlantic to NY.”
So, basically, Maid in Manhattan?
Tony Leung would be inspired casting, but most people couldn’t get over a non-brit in the role.
Here’s the obvious one: JOHNNY DEPP. I don’t think anyone would bat at an eye. Does well with mid-atlantic accents.
Someone who can sing: KEVIN SPACEY. Not sure people would buy it.
RICHARD GERE, handsome guy who can sing, old enough, charming enough.
TOM WILKINSON, as Colonel Pickering. Muah!
The role of Freddy: JAMES MCAVOY. Done and doner.
My God Rob. You’re right. I didn’t see the movie… but then again, since you mentioned the title, I reckon I have seen it already.
Movieman, I agree with you about Kennath Branagh. He has successfully reinvented himself in a number of pictures… but would his name mean anything to any viewers outside of LA/NY?
Spacey would be good in the role but wouldn’t have any chemistry with Keira. Ralph Feinnes would be perfect if he could sing, haughty and detached enough but able to connect with some emotion at the end. Depp is the inspired choice, able to sing, able to play the eccentric self-centered slightly oblivious englishman (sort of a cross between his Matthew Barrie and his Ed Wood). If the age is not an issue it would be the best as well as the most commercial choice.
Yeah, after Sweeney Todd, I couldn’t imagine this wouldn’t land on Depp’s desk first. I think Russell Crowe is a totally inspired choice…but isn’t Higgins supposed to be older than those guys?
Gerard Butler.
Audrey Hepburn being played by another actress doesn’t bother me as much, since she was never the right actress to play Eliza, especially knowing that her musical numbers were dubbed.
Henry Higgins is another story, Rex Harrison made that role his own and nobody’s else.
Fiennes is too emotionally chilly/borderline creepy to pull off Higgins. While those same adjectives could be used to describe many of DDL’s most celebrated roles/performances (ncluding his most recent Oscar-winning perf), he’s the sort of karma-karma- chameleon who can pull off ANYTHING (including accents; did you ever hear Finnes’ “American” accent???) I would frigging love to see his Henry Higgins’. Fiennes’ Higgins? Not so much.
I still don’t understand why DDL can’t play Higgins post-“Nine”. If this revamped “Lady” goes into production before January 2009, I’d
be shocked.
Kevin Kline.
That’s a good name, aframe. He’s charming and he can actually sing unlike some of the names being bandied about (Richard Gere? Gerard Butler?) I also like the idea of Kenneth Branagh.
Completely agreed that Fiennes is a bit too creepy for a role where he will be required to fall in love with a woman who is more than half his age.
Did ever an actor look more uncomfortable in a role than Fiennes in Maid in Manhattan? I suppose he does seem too, I dunno, recessive for Higgins. How about Hugh Laurie as a House-ish Higgins? Not enough of a movie name, I reckon.
Laurie would be great… not sure Sony would sign off on him as a TV guy…
Heat: if Sony have a freakin policy of turning down TV PEOPLE. Turning down Laurie would be monumentally STUPID. He’s HOUSE. He’s the main character on one of the biggest TV shows on all of TV. If anyone could make a backwards and moronic freakin remake of MY FAIR LADY work. It would be Laurie. Hell, reteam Laurie and Fry for this movie, and I might watch the fucker. If not… well… it makes so very sense to remake this film.
SO LITTLE sense to remake My Fair Lady. Seriously… edit function… would be so freakin awesome.
Yeah, I think Laurie as Higgins and Fry as Pickering would be a hoot. But people can be weird about accepting their TV icons in unfamiliar roles. Still, House averaged almost 18 million viewers during the ’07-’08 season. That’s a 10% dip from the previous season, but good enough to rank 7th overall and 3rd in 18-49 (and the #1 scripted show in 18-49). Saw that in Entertainment Weekly.
Curiosity will probably put my butt in the seat regardless of who they cast, but Laurie is the only suggestion so far that would actually make me look forward to it. Unless they wait for Day-Lewis and he talk-sings the whole thing in his Daniel Plainview voice.
Yeah, I think Laurie as Higgins and Fry as Pickering would be a hoot. But people can be weird about accepting their TV icons in unfamiliar roles. Still, House averaged almost 18 million viewers during the ’07-’08 season. That’s a 10% dip from the previous season, but good enough to rank 7th overall and 3rd in 18-49 (and the #1 scripted show in 18-49). Saw that in Entertainment Weekly.
Curiosity will probably put my butt in the seat regardless of who they cast, but Laurie is the only suggestion so far that would actually make me look forward to it. Unless they wait for Day-Lewis and he talk-sings the whole thing in his Daniel Plainview voice.
Okay, I think I see how double posting happens here. I try to post, not realizing I haven’t signed in. Doing so actually signs me in, but appears not to post my comment. I close out of the thread and go back in. Still not there. I try posting it again. It doesn’t show up. I go to the main page, where it says my comment is the most recent in the thread. I look. It’s not there. I look again. It’s there twice. Now I’m exhausted.
“not sure Sony would sign off on him as a TV guy…”
This would be the same Sony that regularly makes movies with Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Will Smith, Bruce Willis, Tom Hanks, Jim Carrey, Steve Martin, Denzel Washington, John Travolta…
Kami said: “Fiennes is a bit too creepy for a role where he will be required to fall in love with a woman who is more than half his age.”
SHHHH! Don’t tell that to the makers of THE DUCHESS, dropping this fall, in which Keira IS paired with Ralph Fiennes.
(Fiennes also did lecherous older-man duty in ONEGIN, opposite Liv Tyler.)
Cadavra, that post didn’t make much sense; Obviously those guys are not CURRENT TV guys with no leading-man film track record.
Yeah, I have a feeling that of that list of actors, maybe one or two had breakthrough movies that were from Columbia.
Sandler = The Waterboy/Disney
Ferrell = Old School/Dreamworks
Smith = Bad Boys/Sony (There’s one)
Willis = Die Hard/Fox
Hanks = Splash/Disney
Carrey = Ace Venture/Warner Bros.
Martin = The Jerk/Universal
Washington = Glory/Sony (there’s two)
Travolta = Saturday Night Fever/Paramount
It’s actually kinda interesting that Columbia really launched only one of those former-TV careers.
Willis did start with Tri-Star, with two small successes before breaking out in Fox’s Die Hard. That’s really the one.
Will Smith was Oscar buzzed for he indie Six Degrees and had a strong grosser with WB’s Made In America before he became a Sony boy.
Denzel did kinda break out in A Soldier’s Story, though that really was an ensemble and not sold on any one actor (Howard Rollins and Adolph Caesar were front and center). Five years later, Sony worked with him again.
Travolta did Perfect for Col about a decade into his movie career (launched by Par). Same decade delay with Martin (U).
Sandler established his cred, before going Sony, at Universal, Carrey at WB/NL, Hanks at Dis/Fox, and Ferrell at NL/Par/DW.
Lex, I hadn’t seen any trailers for that movie so I was unaware. Yikes.
All of this is immaterial. My point is, most movie stars (at least male ones) began as TV stars. It doesn’t matter where they got their big-screen break–someone gave it to them. If other studios are willing to take a flyer, why shouldn’t Sony?
As soon as I heard about this I immediately thought og Hugh Laurie. He’s (naturally) got the right accent – RP – he has a lovely singing voice, he’s the right age and of course there’s the whole history with Emma Thompson. He’s also a big enough name now to pull in the audiences. I think Hugh Laurie would be the best choice. I saw Jonathan Pryce in the role but it would probably be a bit sick to cast him seeing as he’s been Keira’s father before…