An Oscar-winning A-List actress...

[Musicaldudepeter]

CZG is Witch material, definitely too sultry for the Baker's Wife.

Maya Rudolph would also be great as Baker's Wife.

[kieranbec]

Into the Woods Movie Dream Cast

Baker: Gavin Creel
Baker's Wife: Kate Winslet, Debra Messing, or Anne Hathaway
Witch: Marion Cotillard or Catherine Zeta Jones
Cinderella: Megan Hilty
Red Riding Hood: Anna Kedrick
Jack: Lucas Grabeel
Rapunzel: Amy Adams
Cinderella's Prince: James Mardsen
Rapunzel's Prince: Matt Bomer
Narrator/ Mysterious Man: Geoffery Rush or Colin Firth
Jack's Mother: Kelli O'Hara
Wolf: Aaron Tviet
Stepmother: Angelica Huston
Steward: Timothy Spall
Granny: Betty White

Lucinda and Florinda can be unknowns.

[best12bars]

If Reese were going to be in this, she's a better fit for Cinderella, but she's a tiny bit too old for it now. Still she fits the role as written.

Zellweger could actually work as the Baker's Wife. I'd want to see her with light brown hair. Don't know why.

I'd love Cate Blanchett in the part, though!

[henrikegerman]

My top three choices are Toni Collette, Toni Collette and Toni Collette.

[ComingUpRoses2]

I could actually see Reese or Kate Winslet knocking it out of the park. Even Cotillard might be quite moving. I don't know if she has the comedy chops, though. As it's been said before, CZJ is too sexy for the Baker's Wife. She'd make a wonderful witch, though, if those rumors about Meryl aren't true.

[best12bars]

My top three choices are Toni Collette, Toni Collette and Toni Collette.

Not an Oscar-winner, not an Oscar-winner, and an Oscar-winner.

But I agree she would be great. She could actually sing it beautifully, too.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

I just don't understand all the push for Marion Cotillard every time a musical gets announced. I thought everything she sang in Nine (which, admittedly, was terrible with or without her) sounded flat and breathy.

[somethingwicked]

I reiterate the Toni Collete endorsement. As I said in another thread, she's absolutely the best choice, though I could see her being hurt by the fact that she sits so squarely between The Witch and The Baker's Wife.

Regardless, I sure hope the film is more ethnically diverse than a lot of the suggestions I've seen here. These dream cast lists people are coming up with are almost universally white, which is disconcerting.

[ComingUpRoses2]

I was very moved by Cotillard's performance in Nine. IMO, she and Penelope Cruz were the best things about it. Sure, neither one had an amazing voice, but they acted their parts to perfection.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

I loved Marion Cotillard's "breathy" voice in NINE, and she's incredibly transformative as an actress. But I really don't see her at all as the Baker's Wife, she might have some fun as the Witch, but ultimately she's not the perfect choice for the world of INTO THE WOODS in my opinion.
Somethingwicked, I see your point re Witherspoon. I loved her in the films you listed, especially LEGALLY BLONDE and ELECTION, I just haven't seen her commit to a role in so long, and she has been really surface in her late work. If she can be as funny as Renee Zellweger was in CHICAGO, it'd be great, but add me to the list of those who'd love to see Zellweger. Toni Collette is my number one choice too, a character actress with a great voice who can be both funny and heartbreaking. I hope that Marshall isn't blinded by her lack of Oscars.

[Jon]

Could it be the despised-by-many-here Gwyneth Paltrow?

Edit: Oops - I see she's already been mentioned.

[ComingUpRoses2]

I'll admit that I don't really like Gwyneth at all, but I do think that her best work has been on Glee, where she was surprisingly funny and showcased a decent singing voice. She might actually make an okey dokey Baker's Wife.

Put me on team Collette, too. She's so terrific in everything. I'd watch her read the phonebook.

As for Reese, in her early years, she was one of our finest character actresses. I can't imagine one of these awful little talent free tarts that we have now signing on for a film like Freeway. She always made terrific, interesting choices until after Walk the Line. After that, it's like she gave up. I think she's still got the talent in her.

[CurtainPullDowner]

I think Paltrow would be terrific, A-List and Oscar Winner.

[somethingwicked]

I actually enjoy Paltrow quite a bit, but I think she completely lacks the earthy quality that's so essential to The Baker's Wife.

I've said it before, but Toni Collette notwithstanding, I still think Sarah Jessica Parker would be wonderful in the role.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Paltrow was surprisingly loose, funny *and* fun in GLEE. She made the material funny and basically mopped the floor with all the awful actors from that show (save for Jane Lynch, of course, they were hilarious together). I just think she's a little too sophisticated for the Baker's Wife, but she could surprise everyone. She'd be better as the Witch, IMO, and I'm sure she'd have a lot of fun with the role, but casting her against type as the Baker's Wife instead might turn out to be interesting. I loved her in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, thought she gave a completely natural, funny and charming performance.

[AC126748]

get what you're saying about likening her to Amy Adams, but Adams is every bit the ingenue, whereas Witherspoon has never had that kind of career (with very few exceptions.)

I agree with you about Witherspoon being quirkier than most people might realize, but I strongly question your description of Amy Adams as "every bit the ingenue". Aside from ENCHANTED, THE MUPPETS, and perhaps CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, I would say that her film career suggests that she's a character actress more than anything else. JUNEBUG, DOUBT, SUNSHINE CLEANING, THE FIGHTER, THE MASTER, TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE, JULIE AND JULIA...none of these particularly fit the ingenue mold.

How is SJP's singing voice these days? Her recent performance on GLEE was so autotuned I was unable to tell her voice ended and the computerization began.

[somethingwicked]

I would argue that there still tends to be a wide-eyed naivety at the heart of the majority of Adams' roles, including several of the ones you mentioned (specifically JULIE & JULIA and most glaringly DOUBT.) Yes, she's successfully explored a darker side of herself in reason years, but she's made her bread and butter being an ingenue, and I think INTO THE WOODS proved she still has a ways to go from completely separating herself from that.

You're also leaving out films LEAP YEAR, MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY, THE WEDDING DATE, and a bunch of her television work, all of which are much lighter. Again, yes, she's becoming more versatile as her career achieves more longevity, but the more complex roles are nowhere near the majority of her body of work.

[henrikegerman]

best12, I know Collette isn't an oscar winner, but the thread had moved on from there. e.g. McCarthy.

[broadway guy]

List of Recent A list Oscar winners:

Gwyneth Paltrow
Hilary Swank
Julia Roberts
Nicole Kidman
Halle Berry
Reese W
Marion Cotillard
Kate Winslet
Sandra Bullock
Natalie Portman
Jodie Foster
Angelina Jolie
CZJ
Jennifer Connelly ( she even looks like the Baker's Wife)
Ren�e Zellweger
Cate Blanchett
Rachel Weisz
Jennifer Hudson
Pen�lope Cruz

[bobs3]

In her current film roles Paltrow usually comes across as patrician. But in some of her earlier films such as the underrated Flesh & Bone and Hard Eight she played earthier characters.

[henrikegerman]

There are many interesting choices on broadwayguy's list. Winslet is the most promising choice IMO.

[Broadway Bob*]

Who said it was a recent Oscar winner? I say BARBRA STREISAND!!! I'm kidding! Although in her hey-day she might've been an interesting choice.

[EricMontreal22]

I'm for Kate as well, from that list, by far.

[americanboy99]

Though I'd be completely pleased by Winslet, Paltrow or Collette (and many of the other names mentioned and not), my first choice, who actually fits this description, is the always delightful Marisa Tomei.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Americanboy, I'd kill to see Marisa Tomei play the Baker's Wife! Talk about someone who can be hilarious, nuanced and bring the right amount of pathos to the role. She has flirted with musicals for a while too and I wonder if maybe she's not the best singer, she was fired from that awful SWEET CHARITY revival (as was her replacement, brilliant Jane Krakowski, so that doesn't mean much about her musical abilities) and she was turned down for Roxie in the CHICAGO film.
My top three choices are three very different actresses: Marisa Tomei (such a great idea, Americanboy), Debra Messing, and Toni Collette. Something tells me it won't be any of them since I'm awful at predicting this sort of thing, but I'm excited.
Something about Kate Winslet as the Baker's Wife, as much as I love her, doesn't excite me as much as so many of the other choices brought up on this thread. Perhaps it's residual damage from the unwatchable CARNAGE film adaptation, but I'd rather see her in an adaptation of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC or as Sally in FOLLIES ten years from now.

[henrikegerman]

Does Tomei sing?