It seems like Disney is returning to its classic roots of taking well-loved fairy tales and turning them into wonderful musicals by bringing the stage musical Into the Woods onto the big screen. Disney has tapped Rob Marshall (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Chicago) to helm the project, with the screenplay written by James Lapine who is one of the writers of the original musical. Disney stated that filming began last week in England with the entire cast.
Up until now there was not much else known about the adaptation, but the full cast list for Into the Woods has now been released: Meryl Streep will play a witch searching for a cure for an aging spell cast on her. Johnny Depp will play a Wolf stalking Little Red Riding Hood. Broadway star Lilla Crawford will portray Little Red Riding Hood. Jake Gyllenhaal was originally supposed to take the role of the Prince that sweeps Rapunzel off her feet, but Billy Magnussen has now taken his place. Makenzie Mauzy will be the beautiful Rapunzel. Emily Blunt will play the Baker's Wife searching for a cure for infertility, and Doctor Who's James Corden will play her husband The Baker. Daniel Huttlestone will be Jack, and Tracey Ullman will be Jack's Mother.
As if that wasn't enough, Chris Pine will be the handsome Prince who is searching for Anna Kendrick as Cinderella. Tammy Blanchard and Lucy Punch will be Cinderella's evil stepsisters. Joanna Riding will play Cinderella's late mother.
The supporting roles will be taken by Simon Russell Beale as the Baker's father. Annette Crosbie fulfills a role as Red Riding Hood's grandmother. Last but not least, Frances de la Tour will be playing the role of an unnamed giant.
Wow, that is quite a long list of characters. While I am a lover of musicals, I am slightly skeptical after seeing the latest big screen adaptation of Les Miserables. I was one of the few of my friends and family that was actually not impressed with the adaptation. It was not horrible, but for me it did not have the same impact as the original Broadway play did. I never saw the Broadway version of Into the Woods, so that might be an advantage for me. It does sound like a great concept, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that it can successfully make the transition from the stage to the silver screen. I am confident that Disney can accomplish this as they have quite a bit of experience with musicals in their past. A lot of the actors and actresses attached to the project also have experience either on stage, or just in general have some musical talent, so that is a huge advantage Into the Woods has going for it. Not to mention that Rob Marshall is best known for another musical called Chicago. I guess we shall see next year if the film can live up to its Broadway predecessor.
Into the Woods will make its way into theaters December 25, 2014.
Source: Screen Rant
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