Producer Cameron Mackintosh Planning for Oliver! Film Adaptation and Broadway Revival

[Starship]

Please, no.

Producer Cameron Mackintosh Planning for Oliver! Film Adaptation and Broadway Revival

[beautywickedlover]

I wonder he really will have Samantha Barks reprise the role from the UK tour now that American audiences are familiar with her.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

I feel Mackintosh will use Anne Hathaway's Oscar win to convince all the A-list actresses that Nancy will win them an Oscar. I doubt Barks would be allowed to reprise her role in that case, however, I never thought she'd be cast as Eponine. That role was a lot smaller and it was in the context of a show that already featured another two A-list actresses.
I don't see the need for this but clearly Mackintosh is getting all excited over the success of LES MISERABLES. I think there's almost no way this will be good if they try to hire someone who'll try to recreate LES MISERABLES.

[CATSNYrevival]

Not that I care, but didn't the original already win best picture? Why mess with that?

I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot about CamMac's "plans" now that he's a lot richer than he was.

[CarlosAlberto]

Man, OLIVER! has already been adapted...and a mighty fine adaptation it is! Why doesn't he try to bring something to the screen that hasn't been done yet, like MISS SAIGON.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

I'd rather see him invest in an adaptation of a musical that has yet to get its due on screen rather than take on a former Best Picture winner, directed by Oliver Reed of all people. Hell, I think even the long-rumored and clearly dead remake of MY FAIR LADY (one of my least favorite Best Picture winners) would have been a more interesting project.

[CarlosAlberto]

You meant Carol Reed, right? Oliver Reed is his nephew and played Bill Sykes.

[best12bars]

They will never do better than the 1968 film. It's a masterpiece of stage-to-screen adapting.

[CarlosAlberto]

^ THIS!

CamMac are you listening?

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Yeah, they said that he's aiming for Samantha as Nancy for Broadway and the movie, which i am really excited about.

But, why 2016 for a release date for the movie? I'm guessing that Rowan Atkinson or Sacha Baron Cohen as Fagin.

[Gothampc]

I think a remake is fine. The original movie isn't perfect and I hope that CamMac goes darker. One thing I didn't like about the original movie was that Nancy is supposed to be an alcoholic (possibly drug addicted) abused woman of the streets. There is blonde, perky, pearl toothed Shani Wallis belting out "As Long As He Needs Me" like she's living the greatest life possible.

[all that jazz]

This is all very exciting but I hate when they announce things with years of anticipation, waiting becomes incredibly painful. The same goes with wicked and sunset boulevard.

[henrikegerman]

With all the great stage musicals that have never been successfully - even tolerably - filmed, and some never filmed at all, why remake one that has already been made so magnificently and is so deservedly beloved?

[CATSNYrevival]

^Cameron clearly has a hard on for My Fair Lady and Oliver so it's no surprise really, it's just odd that he wants to remake such a classic film.

[beautywickedlover]

Here's the news about Samantha possibly doing it.


Will Les Miz Film Star Samantha Barks Make Her Broadway Debut in Oliver?

[Joviedamian]

"With all the great stage musicals that have never been successfully - even tolerably - filmed, and some never filmed at all, why remake one that has already been made so magnificently and is so deservedly beloved?"

Money!

Take something already successful and introduce it to new audiences. $$$$$ :)

[henrikegerman]

Right. I guess its too much to ask for something that is both profit-motivated and actually an exciting idea.

[Joviedamian]

Plus, it's a safe bet to investors who want to invest in the film. Does CamMac own the rights to "Oliver"? For some reason I thought he did!

[Gothampc]

Rumor has it that Quvenzhané Wallis will play Oliver.

[EricMontreal22]

I *think* he does own the rights. When Lionel Bart was doing so badly, I believe Cam decided to allow him once more some of the profits (not sure if this was for the revival shortly before he died where he did some new music, or not)--since Bart had sold them off long back.

Agreed with the majority on here. It just seems like he thinks "Oh, Les Miz is kinda like Dickens--hey I own the rights to a Dickens musical!" (Boubil and Shoenberg have said they got the idea to do Les Miz when they saw the 70s revival of Oliver! that Mackintosh produced.)

Gotham, I get your point about Nancy--expect the musical isn't written for her to be like she is in the book. So--that's not the fault of a movie adaptation. There are a lot of other key details in the novel that are completely dropped, if you want to argue the point (like the entire key mystery story with Monks--as well as his character.)

[Gothampc]

Patti LuPone said she got the role of Fantine because she had played Nancy in Oliver.

[songanddanceman2]

Get on with Saigon, a show that Is crying out to be a film.

[Jon]

It's a terrible idea, but if it must be, then Geoffrey Rush should play Fagin.

[mikey2573]

Instead of remaking the movie OLIVER! why not release the original in Hi Def? And do it while Ron Moody is still around to do a commentary track, he could probably fill in with lots of stage stories since he played Fagin originally in the West End. And you could even have Mark Lester join in on the commentary. And while you're at it, how about releasing the soundtrack to the movie in a new remastered digital release, with ALL the verses of the songs and with the songs actually IN ORDER???
Now THAT would be some OLIVER! news worth getting excited about!

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Honestly, get the film version of MISS SAIGON up first. I'd love a Broadway revival with Samantha Barks though - needs another Broadway name for Fagin though.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Carlos, I definitely meant Carol Reed, my bad