Sunset Boulevard. Should we worry or rejoice?
Monday, March 4, 2019 at 10:52AM by Nathaniel R
As you have no doubt heard, the 1993 stage musical Sunset Blvd., Andrew Lloyd Webber's adaptation of the film noir classic Sunset Boulevard (1950) now has a green light for the movies. The stage musical premiered in London in '93 with Patti LuPone in the lead role before a legally-fraught switcheroo to Glenn Close for its Broadway debut in '94. The musical would go on to win 7 Tonys (including Best Musical and Best Actress) and roughly ever since then (we're talking 25 years now!) there's been talking of adapting it back to the screen, its original home and subject matter. This wouldn't be the first time that's happened of course. The most recent example is Hairspray which proved a hit in all three incarnations: 1988 / 2002 / 2007.
This project has been talked about for years and now a sudden green light with shooting scheduled for October. Was it Glenn Close's year long comeback of sorts as she undoubtedly came close to winning that elusive Oscar that finally did it...
Or was it the success of so many movie musical comedies since the genre's comeback in the early Aughts? Or was it the blockbuster smashes of two music-heavy performance dramas this past year (ASIB and Bohemian)? Our guess is it's a happy fusion of those three timelines since Sunset Blvd is a dramatic musical rather than a musical comedy (the latter being easier to sell) and The Wife proved, at least on a miniature-scale, that you can still market a movie on Glenn Close's name alone and end up with a profitable theatrical run.
Directing the movie version will be the Tony-winning choreographer Rob Ashford and herein lies our typical worry. Why does Hollywood keep assuming that famous stage talent know how to direct movie musicals? There have been a lot of qualitative misses so far when going this route (The Producers, Nine, Mamma Mia!,) . Movie musicals are notoriously difficult to get right and they keep going to relative newbies to the cinema instead of people who've proven to have a firm grasp of what makes a movie, rather than a stage performance, electric. Ashford is hugely talented (he's won Tonys, Oliviers, Emmys, and Drama Desks among other prizes) but he's never directed a movie-movie and his live TV musicals (Peter Pan and The Sound of Music) dont scream "born to be directing cinema!"
That said he has directed musical performances within movies before, helping the main director with the musical sequences in Beyond the Sea, A Million Ways to Die, Ted 2, and Cinderella. And yet this is quite a leap. What's stranger still is that he is known as a gifted choreographor (his Tony-winning work on Thoroughly Modern Millie is just delicious) but Sunset Blvd. is NOT a dance musical.
We wish him all the luck because we sure would like this movie to be a grand success but there's a lot of reasons to worry; lack of film expertise when making a movie ABOUT movies, mediocre source material (like most of Webber's musicals there's only two-ish songs ("With One Look" "It's As If We Never Said Goodbye" and I'm also partial ), and the need to really direct Close. While she's one of the greatest screen actresses she has been known to overdo it on occasion and this purposefully larger than life role will have lots of opportunities to do too much in an effort to be too much. And there's one more bit of worrying: whether or not the movie is good, critics will likely sharpen their knives due to the typical anti-musicals critical stance and the reverence with which the original film is justly held.
In short, we don't expect this to be the Glenn Close Oscar coronation so many hoped for this year but we're thrilled that she gets to take another one of her dream projects to the big screen. It's also a great relief that she's taken her Oscar loss so very well, still being endlessly gracious about the outpouring of love this season. She's resting up at the moment and getting back to work this October on what will surely be one of 2020's most talked about movies.
Reader Comments (65)
Jamie—you really want Meryl to steal a signature role from Glen. That is so shitty. She’s already stolen so many roles from great performers. You’re shameless.
I have posted somewhere else that the internet’s “announced” and “confirmed” status of director, screenwriter and shooting date has to be taken with a grain off salt. No article I could find was able to credit the announcement or the confirmation to any named individual or organisation.
Even if all is true, clearly Close and Paramount and ALW wanted a different timing to make the announcement - which given the way the above comments have panned out would have been smart.
To have a comeback you need to be away for all while and Close is just starting the ‘retreat’ narrative on Instagram.
If an official announcement is forthcoming in a couple of months then I will believe it.
In the meantime I kinda think the next time we see close on screen she will turn up in Avengers: Endgame with Capatan Marvel coming to Zandar to preempt Thanos getting the red Infinity stone.....
I tink after gruelling months o campaigning n fandom, I tink Glenn n all o us deserve a break here.
Until Sunset Blvd is made n released, let's not speculate n raise our hopes too high, let's oso not thrash something tt weren't even made.
Let's give Glenn n ourselves a break n breather. One heartbreak is one heartbreak too many.
Whatever holds for Glenn, I only wish her all the best. She is v active not only on films, but tv n stage too. I'm sure she will have many good opportunites ahead! 😁
Chins up!!
brookesboy - at least Streep herself probably wouldn't take this one. Hasn't she been quoted as saying that the role belonged to Glenn?
Mary -- agreed on their facial structures. Streep is obviously a complete goddess but Glenn Close is far more believable, facial structure wise, as someone who was once a silent film performer. Certain actors just look right in certain time periods and milieus.
Claran -- if you follow Glenn on Instagram, it's clear she's taking a breather for herself which is smart after a demanding stage role (that Mother of the Maid was intense) followed by two months of Oscar campaign.
I mean is there any doubt she's going to slay the screen version? But I am dreading THE NARRATIVE already.
Glenn will be magnificent in this film and I really feel she will win the Oscar for this.
OMG!
So much negative comments.
It'll be a huge success and Glenn's coronation.
If a garbage like "Les Miserables" had a good reception, why no "Sunset Boulevard"?
I really don't understand these thoughts...
Sunset boulevard is big monster to put together. This movie needs someone like Guillermo Del Toro, who’s able to present very dark themes. The director choice is interesting but it worries me because someone that is not very known for films could open the door for not needed intrusions by ALW who is one of the most mediocre story tellers in Hollywood... if this turns out like Phantom (the worst case scenario ) Glenn would need to be superb and yes she has the tendency of overacting, but she is not going to give the exact same performance in stage and film, she understands the difference. She needs to deliver something in between Fatal attraction and dangerous liaisons ( crazy/bitchy/bitter) and I know she’s is not going to play Cruella here, so we need to wait and see. Also I’m not expecting a complete translation of scrip from the stage to the screen, they need to edit the scrip and cut a lot of songs, sunset boulevard (1950) has a complicated structure of dialogue, acting and craftsmanship and if the musical version wants to be as icono como they will need to reestructure the musical.At least we can count with 3 Oscar nominations (costume, art direction and sound) If ALW writes a song probably a song nomination and if Glenn is amazing she will be nominated, partly because of this years shocking lost. If Paramount plays the game right she can easily win, but again it will depend on a lot of factors. Let’s wait and see before we kill the momentum that Glenn can build and YES she can carry a big film by herself.
And please let’s support Glenn films, if we do this she will get more roles and opportunities to get what she deserves !
I'm tempted to stop reading the comments. This site used to be bearable, but it's getting to be no better than comments elsewhere on the internet.
I always find it funny when people on this site call actresses "desperate" for taking certain roles, or for taking roles away from other actresses as if their job is to give other actors work -- they just want to work themselves. It's not that serious. The narrative you're projecting onto the situation is not real.
I'm just glad Glenn is still working.
About other actresses playing the role let’s review the possibilities.
In early 2000s Madonna was attached to the part and ALW said that the movie was going to happen only if Madonna wanted. This day Madonna is not planning or ever consider Sunset her vehicle.
Meryl was attached at some point but her voice is to thin for this ( Glenn’s is deeper) and her face structure would not help her, also Meryl’s technique is to naturalistic for a silent star and no please no. Meryl has played (badly) characters that Glenn would have done superb like August Osage County, Into the woods and Florence Foster. So no Meryl has her roles/style and she needs to let other actresses work.
Barbra Streisand on the other hand, she has the singing abilities and she is well God, but that doesn’t mean she can fit in this part, Barbra has a lot of comedy on her, and as a totally dramatic actress in a totally dramatic film she will be lacking of the “drama” that Norma requires, also Barbra is not the type of movie star they have back in the 20s. And she will not do it without having a hand in the direction.
Susan Sarandon is not a good singer, but she could pull the silent screen diva of course. Goldie as Barbra and Bette is to funny and too sunny for this role.Sally Field is cute like Colleen Moore but not the “star” like Gloria Swanson was.
And Jessica Lange has damage her face too much and part of Norma as a character is the fact that she take care of herself like a cult. Even if she can pull the role.
havent seen anyone make this suggestion for Joe yet... i may have missed it, but here goes...
Jake Gyllenhaal.
I saw him in "Sunday in the Park with George", a notoriously difficult role to sing, and (i say this as a classically-trained oratorio tenor) he was marvelous. Both he and Glenn have a stageyness to their acting that could play well off one another... and how interesting would it be if they BOTH got deserved Oscars for this?!
Correction: I am not saying that Streep should take the role. She is friends with Close and she knows the role is hers.
I am just saying the movie would have a better box office and chance for Oscars if Streep and a stronger Director/ production team was involved.
There is a difference.
Hugh Jackman played Joe Gillis in the Australian production...
...Just saying!
NORMA DESMOND: Glenn Close JOE GILLIS: Jake Gyllenhall MAX VON MAYERLING: John Lithgow BETTY SCHAEFFER: Lily James.
Amy Adams for the role of Betty Schaefer!!!