After Beyonce backed out of a Star is Born last October, Clint Eastwood’s musical aspirations stalled. But ContactMusic says he has his eye on the Tony award-winning Broadway show Jersey Boys.
The director is reportedly set to take the musical – based around the career of vocal group Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – to the big screen after casting issues have put his next project, ‘A Star is Born’, on hold.
Although Eastwood’s representatives and studio Warner Bros are playing their cards close to their chest, The Hollywood Reporter says multiple sources have confirmed the director is in talks to make the film.
The project was originally set up at Columbia Pictures with ‘Iron Man’ director Jon Favreau favourite to helm, but producer Graham King moved it to Warner Bros in September last year.
‘Jersey Boys’ has been a big hit on Broadway since it opened in 2005, winning four Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
John Logan has adapted the screenplay and the soundtrack features hits including ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, ‘Sherry’ and ‘Rag Doll’. Valli himself will act as executive producer, alongside Bob Gaudio, who wrote the music for the stage version.
If Eastwood does direct, it will be his first time behind the camera since 2011’s ‘J. Edgar’, although he starred in baseball movie ‘Trouble with the Curve’ last year.
If he does make ‘Jersey Boys’ it is unlikely he will also appear in the film, as Eastwood feels his days of both directing and starring are over after 2008’s ‘Gran Torino’.
He said last year: ”After ‘Gran Torino’, I thought, ‘This is stupid, to be doing both jobs.’ I’ve only been doing it for 40-some years. Maybe I should just do one or the other and allow myself a little bit of a comfort zone.”
Meh, he also has tried to do another A Star is Born film with Beyonce and Russell Crowe as the lead characters.
I actually would like to see Favreau have at this story. He clearly has a nostalgic bone in his body with writing Swingers and even having some old Hollywood elements in his other movies. He also has always stated he wanted to do a period piece, although he seemed more incline to do a sports movie set in specific period than a musical.
Did Clint ever see the musical play? He’s west coast the Jersey Boys are East coast. I don’t see the connection.
There is no soundtrack, only a cast recording.
a bit dubious of Eastwood and a musical. it’s time they let Scorsese have a shot at a musical (other than New York, New York). the subject matter, the era, the feel, the story has Scorsese written all over it. he would make it throughly exciting.
This is the project Baz L should have taken on, not Gatsby.
Eastwood, though?
Clint will have this movie finished before the end of the year. Just you watch.
Clint finished this movie before breakfast and still had time to whoop an ass or two.
Eastwood is one of my favorite American directors. Anything pure drama directed by him – I will watch. All the more despite the generation gap, *in my thirties* I find connection with his films, relate with no problems at all with his directing efforts and the pieces themselves.
LOVE best Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven, and Bridges […].
Hoping for him to focus more on DRAMA *crime/legal/romance/tragedy/melo* genre a la MDB and Bridges, more or less, rather than directing a musical. Just sayin’.
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PS: Re Grand Torino, it was a good film. That said, to me it’s hard to believe their bond was strong enough that, +SPOILERS from here+ the last will and testament read, the Hmong guy would get something precious from the late man while his flesh and blood got nothing at all. Not to mention, in Act IV as well, the scene where the same Hmong guy was seen trying to break the cellar door to go and help Eastwood’s character deal with the thugs – it didn’t look like he was really trying to break free of it. BUT I love the Lakeshore Drive(?) ending scene – understandably manipulative yet romantic and beautiful.
Eastwood is the empty chair.