One of the longest-running Broadway and London West-End shows (and also the show I did my senior year of high school), might be made into another movie. The first film was not a musical and came out in 1998 starring Liam Neeson as Jean Valjean and Geoffrey Rush as Javert.
Tom Hooper, who recently won Best Director for last year's Best Picture The King's Speech, has been confirmed to direct this musical adaptation. Yesterday, Australian actor Hugh Jackman confirmed that he will play the lead role of Jean Valjean.
William Nicholson (who wrote Gladiator) has written the script for this movie, which is based off Victor Hugo's 1862 classic novel. The story centers around Valjean, an escaped convict who sets out to make a better life for himself and adopts Cosette, the daughter of a dying woman. Valjean finds trouble in the form of Javert, a crazed police instructor who is desperate to find him, and the Thénardiers, the disgusting couple who originally took care of Cosette. The story peaks in the French June Rebellion of 1832.
There have been thousands of productions all over the world and various adaptations, including a "Christian" version in which the song "Lovely Ladies," originally about prostitutes, is changed to "Lovely People."
I look forward to Mr. Hooper's adaptation. His movie, The King's Speech, was pretty strong and I only disliked it because I wanted Black Swan to receive more recognition. I'm glad the film will be a musical adaptation unlike the 1998 version. It's a story that's meant to be sung and hopefully Jackman will have the pipes to cover the demanding role that is Jean Valjean. Recently Nick Jonas played the main role of Marius in the London production, so all things are possible.
The movie is set for 2013. Will you go see it? Below is the hit song "One Day More" from the 10th Anniversary Concert.
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