The 2002 version of the musical "Chicago" that was once well-known to the public originated from a famous stage script adapted from real events in 1926, and was adapted into movies twice in the following years.
Then the story came back into focus in 1975.
Bob Fosse, the famous Hollywood filmmaker and Broadway stage master, adapted "Chicago" into a musical. It became a sensation the year it opened. Not only did it win multiple Tony Awards, but it also performed several times around the world in the following years. Thousands of games.
Although a commercial and award success, "Chicago" was as controversial as director and screenwriter Bob Fosse himself. The play rarely adopts the technique of 'breaking the fourth wall' and frequently 'interacts' with the audience, which makes many viewers feel uncomfortable.
In addition, the public opinion circle is obviously unlikely to like "Chicago"'s bitter satire on the media that only knows how to chase hot topics without regard to ethics and ethics, and the American celebrity culture that is willing to do any scandal in order to gain exposure.
Probably because it was too subversive, after several consecutive years of touring from Broadway to London's West End to the Sydney Opera House in Australia, coupled with changes in the team at that time, this musical ended in 1983 and failed to be as successful as "The Phantom of the Opera" Became a Broadway regular.
So until two years ago.
In 1996, "Chicago" was restarted on Broadway. It was basically an adaptation based on the style of Bob Fosse. Because it was not optimistic in advance, everything from the cast to the stage settings was streamlined and economized, but the result was unexpected.
The rebooted version was not only a great success after its opening that year, quickly recovering costs and achieving profitability, it also set a Tony Award record for a rebooted version of the stage play, winning six major awards that year.
Then, making a movie version was naturally put on the agenda.
When various Hollywood studios paid attention to the film rights of "Chicago", they discovered that this IP had already been acquired by Daenerys Entertainment. It is normal for film companies to hoard script copyrights. Everyone is not surprised by this. They can only lament Simon Westeros' vision again.
However, because the film list was too full, Simon was not in a hurry to start it two years ago, until now.
In its original timeline, "Chicago" made more than $300 million in global box office in 2002 with a production cost of $45 million, surpassing "Pulp Fiction", "Good Will Hunting", "Shakespeare in Love" and other major brands, becoming The highest-grossing film produced by Miramax to date.
On the other hand, the success of "Chicago" actually stimulated the Weinstein brothers' ambitions, and they rushed all the way on the road of large-scale literary films. In the following years, big productions such as "Cold Mountain" and "Nine" suffered a series of mistakes. This ultimately led to Miramax parting ways with Disney.
This time, Miramax has long since disappeared. Of course, Simon will not miss "Chicago." He had quietly bought the copyright when searching for the list a few years ago. At that time, the musical "Chicago" had been discontinued for many years, and Didn't attract much attention.
The project was officially launched a few months ago, and Simon did not make any detours. He directly locked in the director and screenwriter of the original version. The preliminary script was finalized, and casting officially began during this period.
In fact, Simon, the role candidate, basically has an idea.
However, this part of the process was not finalized directly. Instead, the Gaomen Pictures team in charge of the project arranged normal auditions. Of course, these were limited to small-scale auditions.
Inside the front cabin living room of a Boeing 767.
Simon's current focus is on character issues.
The information in hand showed that Catherine Zeta-Jones participated in the audition. After briefly viewing the audition sample, Simon directly marked on the document that he had been selected as the first heroine, Velma Kelly.
Then there is the second leading lady Rosie Hart.
The original Renee Zellweger was not among the auditionees, but even if she participated in the audition, Simon would directly pass.
It is really far different from my own aesthetic.
Speaking of which, during the preparation stage of "Chicago", the role of Rosie Hart basically fell to Charlize Theron. However, before the final decision was made, Renee Zellweger, who was originally not very competitive, starred in "BJ "Diary of a Single" suddenly became a big hit, instantly rising to the top, and then easily pushed out Charlize Theron.
Moreover, if Catherine Zeta-Jones's backstage is not strong enough, Renée Zellweger will obviously not be satisfied with the role of Rosie Hart.
During the filming of the film, and until the Oscars of the following year, various gossips about the two heroines of "Chicago" were frequently reported in the newspapers. During the promotion stage, the two management teams were tit-for-tat over issues such as the positioning of text on the film poster. After several months, because the left and right issues could not be reached, the official had to release several posters, one for you on the left and one for me on the right, and one for you and one on the right.
With Simon's current position, I just think it's very interesting.
A few days ago, at the after-party of "Come on Earth", Madonna mentioned that she had participated in the audition for "Chicago". Simon half-joked that the Madonna was too difficult, because he was thinking of the two heroines of "Chicago".
Although the McQueen is unreliable in Hollywood, she is very suitable for this project in all aspects.
With the materials at hand, Queen McQueen hopes to star Velma Kelly, the leading actress who has relatively more roles. Now that Zeta-Jones has been confirmed, the only one Simon can offer is Rosie Hart.
Regardless of other considerations, referring to the original memory and even McQueen's fame experience, it is obvious that the other party is more suitable for the role of Rosie Hart.
But Simon was obviously worried.
The Queen's fighting ability is more than ten times stronger than Renée Zellweger. If she participates in the role and it is not the role she wants most, then the crew will probably be in a state of panic. With Madonna's status, unless Simon often goes to the scene to watch, no one can suppress her.
Simon obviously doesn't have the time.
After consideration, I can only comment on pending.
If Her Majesty the Queen is willing to settle for the next best thing, Simon will personally come forward to talk to the other party and make a three-part agreement.
If you don't agree, change someone else.
Continue to check the video along the audition list. There are many actresses participating in the audition this time. In addition to the two girls that Simon is more interested in, there are also Nicole Kidman, Demi Moore, Rachel Weisz, and Mia Kosch. A group of actresses of different positions, including Anna, Julianne Moore, Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Chastain, etc. participated in the audition.
Even if you can't get Madonna, there are still a bunch of people to choose from.
And without much consideration, he directly marked the third candidate, Charlize Theron.
The main reason is that Theron has many years of dance foundation.
When making a musical, if the actors don't know how to dance and only rely on expedited training before shooting, the effect will definitely not be very good. Just like the original "Chicago", Renee Zellweger, who has no skills, and Catherine, who has been learning dance since childhood ·Zeta-Jones comparison, the difference is very obvious.
However, Theron also has a shortcoming, that is, his current reputation is still a bit low.
Not that this is a problem.
First of all, the first part of "Lord of the Rings" will be released next year. As the actor of "Elf Princess", Theron will definitely become famous. It is preliminarily confirmed that the first part of "Lord of the Rings" will be released in the Thanksgiving season next year, while "Chicago" will be released in the Christmas season, and will also be the main Oscar candidate later. This back-to-back is a kind of striking while the iron is hot.
Furthermore, the IP popularity of "Chicago" itself can also make up for the shortcomings of the actor's status.
After all, choosing well-known actors, like adapting movies based on well-known novels, is to gain a certain basic popularity in advance. However, over the past century, countless dark horses in Hollywood have gone from obscurity to blockbuster success, and they have repeatedly proved that the movie itself is the most critical.
As for choosing famous actors, it is actually a kind of conservatism.
Simon is not opposed to this kind of conservatism. After all, Hollywood investments often cost tens of millions, and few people will take it lightly. However, he will never be superstitious about such conservatism. If he can't reach an agreement with a big shot or it's not suitable, he will make a decisive change.
The plan for the female protagonist has been confirmed, as well as the actor who will play the male protagonist 'Billy Flynn'.
This Simon was also decided directly, Hugh Jackman.
It can be said to be the biggest change compared to the original version.
Simon doesn't like the original Richard Gere, and he remembers his performance in the film as mediocre. Even if historical changes make the actor's current salary very cheap, Simon has no intention of using it.
Simon considered another popular candidate, John Travolta, but gave up.
I can't afford it this time.
From the beginning of "Pulp Fiction" to "Broken Arrow" and "Face/Off" in recent years, Travolta has been steadily maintaining a front-line status with the support of Daenerys Entertainment. Commercial films will definitely get a maximum salary of 15 million. That kind of thing, even for a musical like "Chicago", because of the good relationship between the two parties, even if Travolta is willing to reduce his salary, he still has to provide corresponding sharing terms.
Since it is determined that this is a big-money project, the share will be almost the same as the maximum salary.
Not a good deal.
Moreover, Simon is not the kind of person who talks about relationships while others talk about money. It is his creed that brothers should settle accounts clearly, otherwise no matter how deep the relationship is, it will end sooner or later.
Another reason is that the core of "Chicago" is the two female protagonists. Billy Flynn is not that important, so there is no need to find a big-name role.
Hugh Jackman, who has made a name for himself in Hollywood with "Contact" and "L.A. Confidential" in the past year, is just right. The two parties have signed a packaging agreement for three films, which happens to be the last one. With a simple contact, $3 million is enough. Got it done.
A price that is neither high nor low.
Although the summer's "L.A. Confidential" was a hit, it was an ensemble drama with three male protagonists. Even if Jackman is the leading male lead, it has not proven his appeal. It can only be said that he has a certain degree of popularity. In addition, participating in the film adaptation of the famous musical "L.A. Confidential" can also further broaden Jackman's acting career.
There are not many actors in Hollywood who can span various genres. The saddest thing is that they are limited to young talents in youth movies, and it is basically difficult to break through. And Jackman has straddled the three major themes of science fiction, crime, and singing and dancing since his debut. As long as the three films have received good response, the next step will be a smooth road.
As for Uncle Wolf's own singing and dancing abilities, not to mention his background as an orthodox stage actor, those who have watched "The Greatest Showman" and "Les Misérables" will probably not doubt it.
As Simon considered it, he finally wrote his own annotations on the casting documents for "Chicago."
Finally, he circled the name of one of the women who participated in the audition.
Alessandra Martinis.
The 'Golden Rose Cave Princess' who was kidnapped from Italy and eloped with her.
Unlike other actresses who wanted to win over Wilma, Martinis auditioned for Rosie.
There is no problem with women's performances, singing and dancing. After all, she was also born as a professional dancer, but she is a bit older. She is 35 years old this year, and her reputation is also a bit low. In recent years, with Simon's backing, Her Royal Highness has participated in some stage plays and film and television dramas, which can be regarded as The face is familiar, but if you want to support "Chicago", at least there are definitely several key alternatives that are not as good as Simon.
Simon trapped the woman, mainly because he hadn't seen her for a long time, and he could go to her for a night on the east coast in the next few days.
This is also a stunner.
At the age of 35, she is also a beauty who has successfully resisted the age-prone attributes of Western women, and has a more mature charm.
After reading the information on "Chicago", Simon had just closed the folder, and the little maid who had been leaning next to him took it attentively, put it on the coffee table in front of him, and then fetched the next one for Simon.
This time it’s about some new project materials that are being brewed recently.
As Simon opened the book, he put his other hand on the little maid beside him and asked casually: "Are you bored?"
The little maid shook her head repeatedly, raised her head, and looked over with watery eyes: "No, Mr. Westeros, it is my honor to stay by your side."
Simon smiled and gestured to the coffee table in front of him, but he said to the other two: "You two, Gege, show me your flowers and let me see them bloom."
Having had this experience several times, Big Eyes and Ziwei Hua certainly understood what it meant to have blooming flowers. After seeing the man finish speaking, the little maid diligently stepped forward to help clear away the documents and things on the coffee table. The two women glanced at her in unison, but they also Not daring to disobey the man's order, they quickly climbed onto the coffee table and hugged each other.
Simon only glanced at the Lily show on the coffee table occasionally, but his attention was still on the document in his hand.
Among several projects in the pipeline, the first is "The Black Dahlia," which is both an adaptation of real historical events and a Los Angeles drama from acclaimed author James Allory, including the summer hit "L.A. Confidential." The most famous part of the "City Tetralogy".
The Gomen Pictures team still suggested that Brian De Palma be in charge, and Palma also responded positively.
Then there are some preliminary script ideas and other production ideas.
The 2006 version of "The Black Dahlia" directed by Palma ended in failure. Simon, who knew the inside story, understood that Palma just took over a mess from David Fincher. Simon doesn’t have much worries about the brand new version.
After a little thought, I told Gaomen to push forward as soon as possible.
Then he flipped through several project plans, either approved or rejected, and soon came across another project from Italy, which made Simon raise his eyebrows slightly.
This is a new film being prepared by the famous Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore, who has had a great time working with Daenerys in recent years, called "The Beautiful Legend of Sicily". A very familiar movie in my memory, it can be said to be famous.