I'll admit I was a bit iffy on this whole live singing concept in Tom Hooper's epic Les Miserables film adaptation... until now. The new international trailer swells with emotion, as everyone from Hugh Jackman to Anne Hathaway, to Amanda Seyfried, Russell Crowe, and Eddie Redmayne warble Claude-Michel Schönberg's iconic tunes like their Oscar hopes depend on it. Which they do.
Hathaway's got the showy role in Fantine, whose "I Dreamed A Dream" was one of the first bits to leak onto the internet months back. Thank goodness for the new trailer, which shows that the rest of the ensemble is bringing their singing game to the streets of 19th century France, too.
We've got Jackman as Valjean, Crowe as Javert, Seyfried as Cosette, all of whom have been known to flex their vocal chords from time to time. Redmayne, who starred most recently in My Week With Marilyn and plays Marius, has yet to show off his pipes but apparently was a chorister at Eton College - not too shabby. Then there's Samantha Barks as Eponine, who'll probably blow everyone else in the cast away seeing as she's an actual West End star. (Remember when we thought Taylor Swift had the role in the bag? Oh, Internet.)
In any case, hope! Optimism! I know Les Mis is already going to steal all the Christmas movie-going dollars, but now I'm more convinced it'll be a repeat-view Oscar contender and not just a must-see for Broadway nuts. Color me a believer.