Rob Marshall (“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”) has been looking for something to do since his remake of “The Thin Man” with Johnny Depp was put on hold.
Now his eyes have shifted to the fairy tale themes musical “Into the Woods” for Disney.
James Lapine, who wrote the book for the stage musical iteration of Into the Woods, is apparently reworking the script, and a star-studded screenplay reading has already happened.
Screenplay readings happen all the time, and the actors that participated aren’t necessarily going to be in the film, but it helps the director get a feel for the tone of the movie, and allows them to make adjustments as needed.
Patrick Wilson (“The Watchmen”), Anna Kendrick (“End of Watch”), and Allison Janney (“10 Things I Hate About You”) read the parts of Cinderella’s Prince, Cinderella, and Jack’s Mother respectively.
While none of them are confirmed to be in the film, The Film Stage has learned today that Meryl Streep ("The Iron Lady") has been cast in the lead role of the Witch.
Streep wasn't there for the reading, but she has proven herself capable of carrying a musical film with her performance in “Mamma Mia!”
If they can lock down Anna Kendrick for anything they would be lucky (she has some great vocal talents), and if they can get Amy Adams back for another musical (she was in “Enchanted” and had great vocals) then this would be a musical not to be missed.
