Damn Yankees update: Todd Graff to direct

[cotton]

http://www.broadway.com/Jim-Carrey-and- ... ws/5022248

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111800 ... id=15&cs=1

The Variety link might not open properly(I had a hard time with it) so I copied and pasted the story here

New Line Cinema is playing ball with Jim Carrey and Jake Gyllenhaal on "Damn Yankees," attaching both actors to star in a contemporized film transfer of the classic musical.
Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel are set to write the script.

The musical is being produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the duo behind New Line's musical "Hairspray"; a sequel to that film is in the works.

"Damn Yankees," which bowed on Broadway in 1955 and won seven Tony Awards, focuses on Joe Boyd, a happily married middle-aged man whose devotion to a hapless pro baseball team prompts him to make a Faustian bargain with the devil to help the team. He's transformed into slugger Joe Hardy, in exchange for Boyd's soul. Boyd can break the deal, but the deadline occurs during the World Series. For good measure, the devil engages Lola, a gorgeous lost soul, to seduce the slugger and seal his fate.

The plan is for Carrey to play the devil, and Gyllenhaal to play Boyd. It's the first musical for each.

The producers tried but struck out on a version of "Damn Yankees" five years ago at Miramax, where they made "Chicago." The rights lapsed after Harvey Weinstein exited that studio. After two years of rights negotiations, "Damn Yankees" is moving forward with Toby Emmerich's New Line.

The trick is finding a balance that retains the show's classic tunes like "(You Gotta Have) Heart" and "Whatever Lola Wants," while injecting a contemporary feel on a musical that is firmly rooted in the 1950s. The intention is to get a script from Ganz and Mandel before meeting directors, and actresses who'll want to play Lola.

The original was directed by George Abbott and choreographed by Bob Fosse, with music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, and book by Abbott and Douglass Wallop. "Damn Yankees" was turned into a 1958 Warner Bros. film that was directed by Abbott and Stanley Donen, with Ray Walston and Gwen Verdon re-creating their stage performances, and Tab Hunter playing the slugger.

Carrey is coming off "Yes Man" and "I Love You Phillip Morris," the latter of which premiered at Sundance and is in distribution discussions. Carrey also plays Ebenezer Scrooge and several other roles in "A Christmas Carol," which Robert Zemeckis directed for Disney in performance capture digital 3-D animation. Carrey also plans to star for director Jason Reitman in "Pierre Pierre" for Fox Searchlight.

Gyllenhaal recently completed the David O. Russell-directed "Nailed," the Jim Sheridan-directed "Brothers," and he plays the title role in the Mike Newell-directed "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" for Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer.

[chips and dip]

Interesting.
PS cotton I couldn't open either.

[123Dan123]

This could be good if they try to stick to the Broadway play. However, if they try to "Hollywood it up," I'm not interested.

The good news is that he's still planning on doing Pierre, Pierre with Reitman and that Phillip Morris is in distribution negotiations.

[fluffy]

YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..............SING BABY.........SING!!!!!!!

[lammy]

Yayy...a musical . Sounds good.

[Citizen24]

[fluffy]

OMG Jim will suit the devil role.......meow, he's perfect for it..........

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200806/r256412_1061075.jpg

lol.....meet Cedric, a Tasmanian devil, and quite possibly the saviour of the species.......i couldn't resist posting him........check out his big Devilish smile......

yeahhhh!.........i got my wish to hear Jimmy sing more.......lol

[jimliker]

wow!! Jim u can do a bollywood song in the movie.

[123Dan123]

I wonder who's gonna direct, can't wait to find that out.

[grinchy steve]

Jim Carrey doing a musical? I say YEAH! He has proved in many movies, shows and other things that's he's perfectly able to pull that one off! And next to Jake Gyllenhaal? That's one hell of great actor. (if he has a good written character and script)

What kind of a musical will it be? More like "Chicago" (Oscarmaterial) or more like "Hairspray" (Fun, fun, fun) ? I'm realy curious. Ofcours ... with musical there absolutely has to be a very strong vision by a great director.

Ow, and "Pierre, Pierre" is still on? That's ...

[123Dan123]

Jim Carrey doing a musical? I say YEAH! He has proved in many movies, shows and other things that's he's perfectly able to pull that one off! And next to Jake Gyllenhaal? That's one hell of great actor. (if he has a good written character and script)

What kind of a musical will it be? More like "Chicago" (Oscarmaterial) or more like "Hairspray" (Fun, fun, fun) ? I'm realy curious. Ofcours ... with musical there absolutely has to be a very strong vision by a great director.

Ow, and "Pierre, Pierre" is still on? That's ...

Great news indeed, Steve.

I think it's going to be more like a Hairspray movie, because the original Broadway act was fun, and funny.

And yes, can't wait for Pierre, Pierre. Wonder when they'll start working on that.

[grinchy steve]

Like Hairspray, huh? I think that could work very well with those two names in it. I can see one of the main roles is that (bit older) woman ... maybe Kate Winslet is the right choice for that? She had a huge hit a long long time ago in a hitparade far far away with 'What if' (wasn't a big fan of that) but heard her singing live and ... that was amazing. But she had me with her things in 'Romance & Cigarettes', the weird musical she did. And she's so funny and diverse.

And 'Pierre, Pierre', that's great indeed. I whish there was more news already.

[chips and dip]

Has Jim Carrey even been introduced to it yet?

[chips and dip]

Shouldn't it be on Lastest News?

[cotton]

Tommys news are always at least one day late