So many announcements about movie musicals have been coming over the last few days, I can hardly keep up with them. First comes news of a proposed sequel to the movie "Hairspray." John Waters, who wrote and directed the original "Hairspray" movie upon which the stage and film musicals are based, will write the screenplay, which will reunite Adam Shankman, who directed and choreographed the film musical, with composer Marc Shaiman and lyricist Scott Wittman.
What more can possibly be said about Tracy Turnblad and her motley crew? Well, the movie has made $200 million worldwide, so artistic concerns are doubtless secondary to the prospect of establishing a movie franchise, a la "High School Musical." Perhaps if the movie's a hit, we'll see a stage version, then a movie version of the new stage version, and the whole enterprise will become ever more attenuated and derivative, and collapse in upon itself like a black hole or a Rene Magritte painting.
In other movie news, producer Lou Adler recently announced that he's teaming up with MTV to produce a new TV movie version of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." I've never really understood the impetus behind remakes. If something worked the first time, why set yourself up for the inevitable unflattering comparison? Has there ever been a remake that surpassed the original, artistically or financially? Perhaps the 1936 film version of "Show Boat," although I've never seen the 1929 version. And the 1993 "Gypsy" was a considerable improvement over the lamentable Rosalind Russell film.
The new "Rocky" movie will reportedly feature Richard O'Brien and Jim Sharman's original screenplay, but may feature some new or added musical material. Here's my problem with that: the charm of the original arises not from the quality of the piece itself, but from the outsize performances and shock value contained therein. The movie has become a cult favorite not because it's good but rather because it's so easy to make fun of. Color me extremely skeptical.
And finally, in a film-musical development that I'm actually encouraged about, Academy Award winner Emma Thompson has reportedly signed on to pen the screenplay for the upcoming film remake of My Fair Lady. Thompson won an Oscar for her masterful screenplay to "Sense and Sensibility," and also wrote the incisive teleplay for the HBO film version of "Wit." Sure, she's never written a musical before, but how many living screenwriters have? Somehow I have a bit more confidence in this project, partly because it's starting out with much better material. I guess that makes me a bit more receptive to the prospect of a remake, although it's hard to imagine anything topping the 1964 original.
The Rocky Horror remake makes me angry and sad. I'm not really sure I want to see a remake of My Fair Lady either!
Posted by: crossoverman | July 25, 2008 at 08:12 PM
I completely agree about the Hairspray sequel comments. I come from Baltimore and I love John Waters, but I feel like this Hairspray sequel goes against everything his name stands for. His movies were never part of the mainstream and I never thought he wanted it to be that way. I love Hairspray as much as the next person, but the madness just needs to end.
Posted by: Katie G. | July 25, 2008 at 08:39 PM
Katie,
I'm with you. I'd much rather see John Waters working on new project that was more in line with his pre-Hairspray movies. The man's a twisted visionary, not a studio hack. I'd love to see him get back to what he does best: showing us the freaky underside of the city he calls home.
Posted by: chris caggiano | July 25, 2008 at 09:30 PM
crossoverman,
The real cause for concern is the MTV connection. Are they going to try to cast the new Rocky Horror with teeny-bopper pop stars? Christina Aguilera as Magenta? Nick Lachey as Brad? Ricky Martin as Fran N. Furter? Enrique Iglesias as Riff Raff?
The mind reels.
Posted by: chris caggiano | July 25, 2008 at 09:34 PM
Yeah, as much as I love Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (and I love them a great deal!) I just can't see what Waters could come up with that would be as dramatic and compelling as the plot of the original Hairspray. Tracy goes to Woodstock? Tracy goes to the Democratic Convention in Chicago? Tracy marches on the Pentagon?
Posted by: Esther | July 25, 2008 at 09:35 PM
Oh good Lord! Make it stop! I have two words that I would like to shout from the rooftops of NYC and from atop the Hollywood sign: "ORGINAL MATERIAL!"
C'mon, folks!
Posted by: Alicia Dempster | July 27, 2008 at 08:25 AM