EXCLUSIVE: At long last, 20th Century Fox has closed movie rights to Guys And Dolls, and the studio will soon start the process of developing a remake of the stage and movie classic for what Fox hopes will be a killer pairing of Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the roles made famous by Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando. There is no writer or director yet, but those guys are interested.
While we are all waiting for the eventual movie adaptation of stage hits like Wicked and The Book Of Mormon, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a musical adaptation get the kind of rise out of movie stars that Guys And Dolls has each time a movie deal was rumored. Years ago, it looked like Harvey Weinstein was getting the rights, with his Chicago exec producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron producing the film. Thesps from Russell Crowe to Vin Diesel, Hugh Jackman and others all tossed their hats into the ring to play the leads. Trouble was, Jo Loesser, the widow of songwriter Frank Loesser, never found a deal to her liking and declined to sign over the rights. Until just recently.
The musical was taken from Damon Runyon’s short stories that captured the rogue gangsters and gamblers of the 1920s and 1930s. Here, Nathan Detroit (Sinatra) has a town full of captive gamblers and wants to set up a floating crap game but needs money to do it. He bets his pal Sky Masterson (Brando) that Sky can’t get the wholesome Sarah Brown (Jean Simmons) — who runs a mission — to go with him to Havana. Frank Loesser wrote the music and lyrics, and Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows wrote the book. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical when it premiered in 1950, and won the 1951 Pulitzer for Drama, until the troubles Burrows was having with the House Un-American Activities Committee caused the Trustees of Columbia University to veto the selection. Guys And Dolls was then turned into the 1955 movie. The classic Loesser songs included Luck Be A Lady, and Sit Down, You’re Rocking The Boat.
Fox’s intention to go young is intriguing, and while there is no deal with either guy and there won’t be one until a script and filmmaker are in place, Tatum and Gordon-Levitt are about the two hottest young guys out there. And both of them are versatile with the singing and dancing, as they showed during Seth MacFarlane’s opening number at the Oscars (yeah, the one with Bill Shatner and the ill-advised “We Saw Your Boobs” thing). Tatum was elegant as he spun around the dance floor with Charlize Theron, and Gordon-Levitt sang with MacFarlane and Daniel Radcliffe. Here’s a look at the latter performance of the Sinatra tune High Hopes. Now, this YouTube feed seems to have been provided by a guy who does not have cable TV reception, but you sort of get the idea:
Recent Comments
I am depressed about the possibility of going after both Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Even though I am fans of both actors I truly feel that they are not right for this movie ! Can Hollywood for once cast actors that are real SINGERS and not actors that just sing. In LES MIZ one of my favorite Broadway Musicals casting Russell Crowe was a boor he couldn’t sing the role at all and Eddie Redmayne is a fine actor but his vocal capabilities were week, Aaron Tveit should have had that role he is a true Singer !!
Aaron was perfect as Enjolras though! I wasn’t too fond of Eddie’s singing, but the emotion made up for it.
Hey there! So JGL – that cat can SING! He tours and does shows promoting the production/collaboration company hitRECord and he always sings something live and damn – it is GOOD! You ought to youtube him singing. Also this: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTQyOTI3Mzky.html
Clearly both guys have smooth dancing moves so I guess that’s taken care of. I’m not sure if Channing can sing but well neither could Brando really right? They could never fill the shoes of Sinatra or Brando but I think these guys have a good shot at being decent for these roles! Also – the two of them have worked so much together and they’re such good buds, I’m excited to see what their chemistry will be like on screen :)
Eddie Remayne can too sing, and he has a strong voice. I’m so sick of people who don’t like someone’s singing voice automatically assuming they can’t simply because your opinion is different. I’m sick of people automatically tearing things apart because you think your opinion is more valuable than one of God’s turds. You’re flat out wrong about JGL and Remayne, man. Flat out WRONG.
I have to agree. Cast someone who can SING! It’s like casting a singer who can’t act in a drama film. Russell Crowe in Les Miz will go down as historically bad casting because he’s out of his depth when compared to co-stars Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathway. And poor Eddie Redmayne…he was struggling for air with all the head nodding.
They should look at Jeremy Renner. He’s a hot commodity right now and he sang during his SNL hosting and was OUTSTANDING! It was really a revelation and something he has the talent for. Give the man the role!
Jeremy Renner can sing. On The View, he sung publicly for the first time. This is ridiculous about Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Tatum can’t act nor can he sing- he just luck out with some box-office appealing hits. Gordon-Levitt has acting talent, but he is not a strong vocalist. I read , previously, that Hugh Jackman had the film rights to Guys & Dolls and wanted to star. Jackman & Renner would be perfect casting.
Guess their audition at The Oscars paid off, huh?
Anne Hathaway did the same thing a few years back, practically begging Hugh Jackman for her part in Les Miz with that awkward opera-type number.
Sadly, this announcement tells you everything you need to know about Hollywood in 2013. Our parents got Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando; we get Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Pathetic. Another musical with vapid, non-singing “stars” in a pointless effort to chase the elusive “younger demographic”. Can’t believe Jo Loesser agreed to this. Frank Loesser would not be happy.
Hmmmm, maybe you should pay attention to modern actors. Channing Tatum is a much more talented dancer than either Brando or Sinatra, and JGL is a very talented singer.
In fact, pay attention to the original actors. Brando was not a singer, and many scoffed at the idea of him being cast in a movie musical.
That’s very true. I am not a big fan of the original because of what Brando and Sinatra were lacking.
Gene Kelly desperately wanted to star in the movie but MGM wouldn’t loan him out. So instead we got the non-singing, barely dancing Brando. Sigh.
Yes, because Brando was such a phenomenal singer..
I don’t think it is fair to dismiss these young actors. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a very fine actor. See his work in “Mysterious Skin” and (especially for this film’s purposes) “500 Days of Summer.” Channing Tatum has now proven that he can act, and is good with comedy. See “21 Jump Street” and, yes, “Magic Mike.” They have both shown they can dance, and apparently have both sung on occasion. This is good casting. I would move on to the women and the supporting roles.
By the way, Frank Sinatra could dance. He was taught by the best, Gene Kelly. Sinatra was not in that league, but he could pull it off pretty well. Of course, he didn’t have to do much dancing as Nathan Detroit in the movie. Brando, and co-star Jean Simmons, were not known for singing at all when they did “Guys and Dolls.” While Simmons was much better in that department than Brando, I think they both came out of it looking pretty good for having gamely tried their best.
Please please please do not set it in modern times
I actually think this is kinda perfect casting.
The remake is a Good idea , but wrong cast. How about something revolutionary , cast singers for a musical. I agree with the above. Aaron Tveit would be great
They’ve got my $15! Just don’t make it a “contemporary setting.”
Please No! It wasn’t that fantastic originally with Brando and Sinatra and company. If they are going to do this, find Broadway actors real singers and dancers not just one or the other. Don’t just go for the pretty boy beefcake we can fake the singing because he can dance. Stop treating the public like idiots and give us some good entertainment.
GYPSY !!!! GYPSY !!!! GYPSY !!!!! GYPSY !!!!
But not with STREISAND!!!! She’s far too old to be the mother of Baby June.
The problem with that is then the singer would then be tasked with delivering acting performances that they were not capable of which would make all those connections between the characters come off as weak when those connections are very important to the story.
I do think that whatever the outcomes of this project, it will be watched by the many musical fans around the globe.
Gets me thinking that they shold remake Rocky Horror with Joseph GLevitt, Emma Stone/Anna Kendrick and Sacha Baron Cohen as The Dr..
Or John Lloyd Young.
Look at this scene from the original movie and ask yourself if it could be done again as well as it already was. I don’t think it will be as good and I’d rather watch the original. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S50QVyly1Yw
Two more classic scenes there is no way a remake will be as good.
“Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt To Fill Frank Sinatra And Marlon Brando Shoes” … that, my dear, will never happen.
+1
Ditto. However, what about Justin Timberlake & Hugh Jackman? They can sing. Can’t they? Can we be honest and say that the original film was rather silly? This will be doubly silly.
Not sure Tatum can sing. Otherwise this sounds surprisingly great.
Doesn’t matter – they’ll make him perform shirtless.
On the subject of actors who can sort of sing vs. singers who can sort of act, I think Sweeney Todd is a pretty instructive case. Tim Burton went the acting-first route with almost all of the lead roles. The only exceptions were Anthony and Johanna, who were played by musical theater specialists. And though Jamie Campbell Bower and Jayne Wisener did fine, there’s really no disputing the assessment that they were the weak links of an otherwise really strong cast. “Green Finch and Linnet Bird” and “Johanna” sound great, but the movie grinds to a halt during both numbers because there’s nothing registering on the performers’ faces.
Russell Crowe is a good counterpoint, but he was wrong for Javert for more reasons than just his poor singing. I’ve got much more faith in Tatum and Gordon-Levitt.
I think the show always grinds to a halt during those numbers.
And Jack Black as Nicely Nicely.
Actually, that’s not really “going young.” Sinatra was 38-39 when he filmed the role, and Brando was 31. Tatum and Gordon-Levitt are actually in the right age range.
If it’s not Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor I don’t wanna know…
Agreed! Jackman and MacGregor! Hathaway as Sarah Brown, and Renee Zellweger as Miss Adelaide!
I saw Ewan McGregor as Sky Masterson in London in 2005. He was not good. Jane Krakowski, on the other hand, was awesome as Adelaide!
Tatum & Levitt in a musical? No way! But Derek Hough (wasted on “Dancing with the Stars”), Elizabeth Jenkins, and Harry Connick Jr. can both sing and dance and would make a remake of “Guys and Dolls” the showstopper it HAS to be. Yes, I can hear some knucklehead studio bigshot yelp: “But they’re not boxoffice!” True enough, but put them in this remake and it would make them “instant” b.o. superstars, which all three of them so richly deserve.
How would it make them “instant b.o. superstars” when they won’t attract people to see the movie? And who the hell is Elizabeth Jenkins? See? You just lost my $15.
Mea culpa, Jay. I meant Katherine Jenkins, a blonde Welsh beauty with a gorgeous voice who is also a terrific dancer. Where is Louis B. Mayer when we need him?
Also, I’d like to put my vote in for Zooey Deschanel as Sarah and Megan Hilty as Adelaide! :)
I’m actually really excited about this (as long as it’s still set in the 50s). I know Gordon-Levitt can sing – dunno about Tatum, but neither could Marlon Brando, really. He did that “talk-singing” thing that was really popular (I’m looking at you, Rex Harrison!).
aka rap “music”.
Yet, you wouldn’t hesitate to call what Brando and Harrison did music without the quotes. Interesting.
I concur
I like the Renner idea he has the machissmo of Sinatra and Brando as well as yes surprise a singing voice. Maybe Renner was trying to get someone’s attention on SNL.
You know why they won’t cast singers, they need movie stars to bring in the audience unless you can find singers with A list recognition.
I like both of them. I like this idea. But there’s one problem.
They’re casting them backwards.
Nathan should be the scrappier, smaller one of the two of them. It makes no sense for Sky to look like JGL if Nathan looks like Magic Mike.
I’m sure that’s how they ARE casting them. Just because the article above puts Sinatra’s name before Brando’s after mentioning Tatum and Gordon-Levitt in that order doesn’t mean anything. It just says they’re attached. It’s CLEAR who’s playing whom. And if that’s NOT the case…well then that’s just silly!
I think the casting seems kinda perfect as well, they seem like good overall fits for the feel of the characters. Joseph seems like he would be particularly good. I think the actresses cast as Adelaide and Sarah have to be a great singers in addition to being great actresses. I’ve heard less seasoned actresses attempt their respective songs and fall flat with them.
Why not just do a wide release of the original. No expense of making a new version and you’ve already got it as good as it’s going to get. Can anyone actually beat Sinatra, Brando, and the rest of that cast. Gee whiz. Why not try writing something NEW?!?!