Sunset Boulevard - The Film

I think an older Norma works better to be honest. A younger man with a woman in her 50s isn’t as socially taboo as when the original movie was made. The only thing for me is that Norma’s age is connected to the plot in that we have to believe she was a huge movie star at the end of the silent movie era, yet at an age where roughly /0 years or so have passed. You can’t really change the era of the storyline that much or the story itself changes.

Personally I think only Glenn could play Norma on screen. Without being rude about Glenn, there’s something about her own career that ties her nicely to Norma. Obviously Glenn is a globally known actress and a much respected figure in cinema, but her box office appeal has diminished over the decades despite having high profile projects (Albert Nobbs, The Wife etc) that garner industry and peer acknowledgement.

I don’t know why this helps me buy into her Norma, but it just does. Its easier to buy into Norma being a star when she is played by a star. I’m not suggesting this is the only reason why only Glenn could play her on screen, but if you have seen her in it then you know why only she can. For me it’s just the most brilliant casting I think I’ve ever seen and it works so well on every level.

Well okay her voice isn’t what it was, but with studio wizardry and even her original vocal recordings from the 1990s to drawn upon, they’ll make it work.

This won't just be "a movie" though, it will be Sunset Boulevard, which is for many people entirely synonymous with Glenn Close. It can't be (and shouldn't be) anyone else - if Close does even a half decent job with this then the studio will know she will be showered with awards (with the "long overdue" story that goes with it, like Julianne Moore was a few years ago) and everyone will know about the film. Having Close star is therefore an absolute no-brainer.

I don't think Cats has anything to do with how popular this will or won't be, they're about as different as you can get.

Sunset is far more suited to the cinematic treatment than some of the others . It has a far better book and the score is one of my favourites. An obvious point being it was a film before a theatre musical!

“Nothing’s wrong with being 70.....unless you’re acting 50”

Sack Glenn Close, hire Catherine Zeta Jones

Sunset I think has more of a chance of being successful but also it's likely going to be a lot cheaper to make compared to Cats so it's less of a risk to Paramount.

Surely that would just be trolling at this point...

I honestly just cannot see how this is ever going to be made now.

Looking at the track record and timings between ALW shows to films.
Evita. We didn't know it at the time but it transpired to be the best effort. Decent cast, director seemed to know what he was doing, very close to the source material, didn't apologise for being a sung through musical.
A lot of time passes.
Phantom - ALW's biggest show by a mile. Distinctly average. In terms of quality and box office.
A lot of time passes.
Cats - pretty much a disaster (the general view, not my own) despite a star cast and an absolute global phenomenon, second only to Phantom in popularity.

And not an ALW but Les Mis was hardly an inspiration.

Yes, those of us on this board of course KNOW that Sunset is an inherently better idea for a film than Cats. But if something as popular as Cats can't be a hit (and make no mistake ALW will have been stung badly by this) there is no chance they will plough on with Sunset in it's wake. (Chuck in the fact that ALW must increasingly realise he can't control how these films are shaped once they are handed over to a director and he just isn't gonna do it). Now I love Sunset. No doubt one of ALW's finest. But With One Look and As If We Never Said Goodbye are barely known beyond fairly niche circles. It doesn't have Box Office.

OK - there is one possible caveat. They MAY recognise this. And make a low budget film very close to the source material, aiming really only at the show's established fan base. (A bit like Rent did). But I doubt that.

ANYWAY, putting all that to one side.....
If they DID do it.
It is an ABSURD idea for Glenn to do it. I know the mood on this board is very much pro Glenn's Norma so I know everyone will disagree. But even if she wasn't too old (which she is, ludicrously so), SHE CANNOT SING. It's an (almost) sung through musical, with an epic sweeping score and so needs someone that can act through hitting the correct notes not in spite them. It was painful at the ENO knowing she was never gonna make the last note of any of the songs.
And this whole "she's the world's best ever actress, it doesn't matter if she can't sing" is a nonsense too - there are people out there who can do both. (CZJ above is a good shout - a much better fit. BUT - there are surely people we have never thought of who could slay this).

Let's be realistic, all of Nunn's Normas are too old now. The thought of Glenn seducing Zac Efron - it's bonkers. (Though at least LuPone and Buckley could still sing it. I loved EP but must admit even she couldn't sing it now.....)

Having said all that, of course Glenn is SO cemented to this project now, that after the Patti and Broadway furore, am not sure ALW would dare try to remove her.
Another reason IMHO why this film will never be.

Actually, scratch Taylor and let’s go the full Ariana. That would be huge box office.

While Tom Hooper's Les Misérables wasn't every theatre fan's favourite, it is probably the reason he was allowed to do Cats, rightly or wrongly. Despite the reviews only being decent, it was gifted with eight Oscar nominations and was by all accounts a big box office success that also prompted a Broadway revival.

There is an audience for stage to screen adaptations, but they usually need reviews that aren't disastrous, which is likely where The Phantom of the Opera and Cats went most wrong. If they can make an acclaimed Sunset Boulevard adaptation with a powerhouse performance from Close and a relatively low budget, then I don't see why it couldn't be somewhat successful. Oscar buzz would also be helpful of course, although there is early word that she might win next year instead for Hillbilly Elegy, so the prospects of that may be dampened somewhat. In the Heights is also not an overly well-known musical, yet I have a feeling the film adaptation will be a big success. Not to mention, in recent years, original film musicals like La La Land and The Greatest Showman have also thrived. 

Cats is the kind of mess that only happens once in a while. I don't think that alone would be enough to put them off, especially with source material that should be far easier to adapt to screen.

Sunset has the advantage of also being based on a movie and studios like Paramount are always looking to mine new films based on IP they own. Look at A Star is Born, that’s been remade three times and a successful Sunset movie musical will not only help Paramount’s bottom line but also revitalise interest in the original film.

Yes! Let’s get Marni Nixon in!!!!!