Remember when casting began for Tom Hooper's Les Miserables adaptation began and devotees of the iconic Broadway musical were outraged by movie stars being cast over, you know, professional Broadway-level singers? Well, the results on that one were mixed. Despite her haters, Anne Hathaway won the Academy Award for her heartbreaking portrayal of Fantine, and Russell Crowe became an object of scorn for his vocal struggles as Javert. Clint Eastwood is looking to sidestep this discussion altogether when casting his in-the-works musical Jersey Boys.
Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Jersey Boys unfolds the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons while featuring such beloved songs as "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," and "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)." And it appears that the stage is the only place Eastwood's looking for his adaptation's cast. Deadline reports that Eastwood, who recently replaced Jon Favreau at the helm of the Warner Bros-produced picture, wants to pull his leads from the talent pool of Jersey Boys performers, who've taken the show around the globe.
This is a surprising move, since it's practically Hollywood mandate to ditch the stage stars for bigger names that have a broader box office appeal. That being said, it's kind of an awful tradition, especially considering some stage performers helped define these characters that people cling to, and then all the mainstream glory goes to the flashier star who follows in their footsteps. Notably, Jersey Boys has become a brand that has already pulled in more than $1 billion dollars, which might explain why Eastwood can afford to avoid casting big names in the movie version's leading roles. As to who specifically Eastwood is eyeing, that's still unknown. But casting news is sure to drop in short order as production is slated to kick off on the Warner Bros lot this August.
