Re: Gypsy Remake?
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 3:07 am
'Gypsy' movie with Barbra Streisand moving forward
March 13, 2012 | 5:57 pm LA Times
The on-again, off-again movie adaptation of "Gypsy," with Barbra
Streisand in the lead, is officially on again. Universal announced
Tuesday that the movie project is moving forward with "Downton Abbey"
creator and writer Julian Fellowes coming on board to pen the screenplay.
"Gypsy" will be produced by Streisand and Joel Silver, but a director
has not been announced. Fellowes, who won an Oscar for his screenplay
for "Gosford Park," will write the adaptation of the classic stage
musical, which features songs by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim and
a book by Arthur Laurents.
Streisand, who turns 70 next month, will play Mama Rose, the
overbearing stage mother grappling with raising two young daughters
during the Depression. The musical is based on the memoirs of Gypsy
Rose Lee, the famous vaudeville performer and striptease artist.
Last year, "Gypsy" appeared to be dead in the water at Warner Bros.
after Laurents said that he didn't want the new movie version to happen and that
he had withdrawn his permission for it. Laurents died in May at the age of 93.
But it wasn't the film he opposed, only certain stipulations
regarding oversight by the original authors that couldn't be worked
out at Warner Bros., according to his former agent, Jonathan Lomma of
WME Entertainment. Lomma, who continues to represent the estate of
the legendary Broadway writer and director, said Tuesday that
Universal quickly stepped forward with an offer that garnered
Laurents' blessing prior to his death.
"Gypsy" debuted on Broadway in 1959, with Ethel Merman in the role of
Mama Rose. Other actresses who have played the iconic part on
Broadway include Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters and, most
recently, Patti LuPone.
The only other time "Gypsy" has been adapted for the big screen was
in 1962, in a version starring Rosalind Russell, whose singing voice
was dubbed. Bette Midler played the role in a 1993 TV adaptation of
the musical.
No release date has been set for the Streisand version.
March 13, 2012 | 5:57 pm LA Times
The on-again, off-again movie adaptation of "Gypsy," with Barbra
Streisand in the lead, is officially on again. Universal announced
Tuesday that the movie project is moving forward with "Downton Abbey"
creator and writer Julian Fellowes coming on board to pen the screenplay.
"Gypsy" will be produced by Streisand and Joel Silver, but a director
has not been announced. Fellowes, who won an Oscar for his screenplay
for "Gosford Park," will write the adaptation of the classic stage
musical, which features songs by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim and
a book by Arthur Laurents.
Streisand, who turns 70 next month, will play Mama Rose, the
overbearing stage mother grappling with raising two young daughters
during the Depression. The musical is based on the memoirs of Gypsy
Rose Lee, the famous vaudeville performer and striptease artist.
Last year, "Gypsy" appeared to be dead in the water at Warner Bros.
after Laurents said that he didn't want the new movie version to happen and that
he had withdrawn his permission for it. Laurents died in May at the age of 93.
But it wasn't the film he opposed, only certain stipulations
regarding oversight by the original authors that couldn't be worked
out at Warner Bros., according to his former agent, Jonathan Lomma of
WME Entertainment. Lomma, who continues to represent the estate of
the legendary Broadway writer and director, said Tuesday that
Universal quickly stepped forward with an offer that garnered
Laurents' blessing prior to his death.
"Gypsy" debuted on Broadway in 1959, with Ethel Merman in the role of
Mama Rose. Other actresses who have played the iconic part on
Broadway include Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters and, most
recently, Patti LuPone.
The only other time "Gypsy" has been adapted for the big screen was
in 1962, in a version starring Rosalind Russell, whose singing voice
was dubbed. Bette Midler played the role in a 1993 TV adaptation of
the musical.
No release date has been set for the Streisand version.