Here are two videos of Candice Parise singing as Juliette and as Eponine. Parsie played Esmeralda in the 2011-2012 Asian Tour cast of Notre Dame de Paris as Esmeralda. That cast sang in English but watching these video makes me want to hear her sing Esmeralda in French.
This featurette is all about how the actors in the Le Mis movie are all singing live in the takes and how in this approach they can add so much to their performance. I think this approach is a good one. Les Miserables is a very gritty story so the vocal performance really should have a rawness to them. I hope more movie musicals will take this approach in the future.
Pictures and Trailer from the upcoming 2012 Les Misérables movies. I’m still not sure on the casting and the production values seem a bit to much like “Notice Me Academy”.
(Please Note – I’m not as familiar with Les Mis so I may have misidentified characters or actors)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7_pOyPYGUQ
How do you think Notre Dame de Paris would translate to a movie format? I think a cinematic treatment could be cool but the musical doesn’t have the best “narrative.”
Helena Bonham Carter
All signs point signs point to yes! Helena Bonham Carter has been cast in the upcoming Les Miserables movie as Madame Thenardier. And Since Tim Burton is the frontrunner as Director of “Hunchback” she’ll be probably be in that as well.
Hugh Jackman
Russell Crowe
Also Hugh Jackman is playing Jean Valjean and Russell Crowe has reportedly accepted the role of Inspector Javert. I can’t really picture Crowe as Javert but maybe my conception of Javert is different from the Hollywood casting person.
Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway is playing Fantine.
Claire Danes as Cossette from the 1998 Les Miserables
I know this movie is going to be a musical but I think it would have been ironic if Claire Danes had played Fantine. After all she did play Cossette in the 1998 version. I still don’t agree with Hathaway as Fantine and Crowe as Javert causes me to raise as eyebrow, but I’m not a casting director and they didn’t ask me either.
Remakes of both Les Miserables and Hunchback of Notre Dame are slated to be released in 2013. So far Les Miserables is directed by Tom Hopper and will star Anne Hathaway as Fantine and Hugh Jackman as TBA.
Anne Hathaway
Hugh Jackman
The Hunchback is still in the rumor phase by as I mentioned before Josh Brolin is attached to it and may play Quasimodo and Tim Burton is rumored to be the director. Hunchback will also be given a an adventure al la Pirates of the Caribbean. And since Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway are attracted to Les Miserables I have to assume it’s going to be a musical. So Hugo’s two most popular books, both of which haven’t been touch in a about a decade (by Hollywood) are going to be made into an adventure and a musical (guess). Les Miserables as a musical isn’t unbelievable as it’s a very popular musical but Hathaway and Jackman are just there to get people to see the movie who wouldn’t have otherwise. I think Jackman would do fine as either Valjean or Javert (his casting is not official yet) but Hathaway as Fantine, no, no, no. I don’t dislike Hathaway or dislike her singing but I can’t see her as Fantine at all, not even remotely.
If this is how casting is going on Les Miserables, it doesn’t leave with a ton of confident with casting on hunchback. I mean casting in Hollywood is awful but given the trend of casting people regardless of talent or what is required of the role I fear for Hunchback. My guess is that for Hunchback they’ll just get Megan Fox for Esmeralda (because the masses think she’s hot and the masses pay to see movies) and probably Alan Rickman as Frollo. I think many people like the idea of Rickman as Frollo, and truthfully it not a bad casting idea, he would make a decent Frollo. But if the new movie makes Esmeralda overtly sexy, you know that it’s just to get a demographic in the seats.
If they cast someone like Fox as Esmeralda, expect a major rant from me. I stomach the idea of Hathaway as Fantine better than Fox.