…And Yes, Hugh Jackman IS Going to Ride “Carousel”

“I told you I could get a film of ‘Carousel’ greenlit. 

This is freakin’ hilarious. So yesterday I wrote this post about Hugh Jackman signing up to star in “Ghostopolis” and I wanted to make the point that Jackman is so hot right now he can do pretty much anything he wants. Since he’s such a musical theater junkie, I thought I’d illustrate my point by saying, “He could get a film version of [insert musical title] made!” To choose the appropriate musical example, I tried to think of shows with really traditional scores, that have little appeal for contemporary audiences, but that hard core musical fans love (”I always wanted to be in that show!”). I came up with “Carousel,” a musical with an old-fashioned score, a slow-moving plot where a wife beater is the hero, and men always dream of playing that hero role because of his big, ol’ showstopping number “Soliloquoy.”

Anyway, while looking at a story in Variety tonight about the many projects Jackman has underway, what do I see but the following:

“Long-in-the-works “Carousel” is also now a priority at Fox 2000, after David Magee turned in a script that Jackman and Palermo said keeps the timeless spirit of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic, but injects relevance for a contemporary audience. Jackman will play Billy Bigelow. On Jackman’s wishlist for the role of Julie Jordan is Anne Hathaway, who dueted with him in the Oscarcast opening number. Negotiations have not begun with the actress.”

I swear I did not know that anyone was planning a new film of “Carousel” (the last one starred Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae) when I wrote my little show queen joke yesterday. Okay, so they’re updating the plot, fine. But I’m guessing that the soundtrack isn’t going to be a big seller.

Some other things that are being planned by Jackman and Seed Productions, led by John Palermo.

• A sequel to “Wolverine” - Yeah, that was a tough decision to make.
• “Personal Security” - Jackman will star as a tough Gotham police detective forced into bodyguard duty for a spoiled teen heiress who is receiving kidnapping threats. So it’s kind of like “The Bodyguard” except the guard will be the one with the musical talent.
• “Drive” - about a solitary man who drives race cars by day and getaway cars by night in Los Angeles. Hossein Amini’s script is supposed to have a “Steve McQueen” feel. Everyone wants to be Steve McQueen.

Then back to the legit stage, where Jackman will supposedly star in a musical about Houdini, called “Houdini,” with music by the always exciting Danny Elfman and lyrics by the unexciting but reliable David Yazbek. The book is by Kurt Andersen. As far as I’m concerned, you can never have enough Houdini material, but I find it hard to believe that Jackman will be able to commit to the long, arduous process of getting an original musical onstage and then sticking with the run. it’s tough to plan around the pitfalls of theater. But let’s hope for the best.