WATCH: More Proof That Joseph Gordon-Levitt Would Be Great In 'Guys And Dolls'
I'm not as jazzed as everyone else seems to be about Deadline's report that 20th Century Fox is developing a remake of Guys and Dolls. It was a great movie, but unless it gets a serious update in the writing department, I think it's too broad and antiquated to connect with contemporary audiences on a mass level. On the other hand, I totally agree that if the movie's going to have a serious shot at making it, Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are about the best casting choices the studio could make. (I'm expecting to hear Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway's names added to the mix any minute now, too.
By now, you've been reminded of Tatum and Gordon-Levitt's fleet-footed performance on the Oscars earlier this year, but here's further proof that JGL is a serious song and dance man. Gordon-Levitt paid homage to Donald O'Connor's great "Make'em Laugh" performance from the 1952 MGM musical Singin' In The Rain when he hosted Saturday Night Live in 2009. Check him out below:
Make 'em Gasp
If you don't think that was difficult, keep in mind O'Connor spent a week recuperating from carpet burns and plain old exhaustion after shooting the original and admittedly more strenuous version:
Top This
Top that, Tatum.
[Deadline]
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Comments
Not denying the talent other than a somewhat lightweight voice (My Time of Day?), but Sky is a jaded man about town and Nathan has been engaged for 14 years to Adelaide. Unless they are going G & D for the Hunger Games and High School Gleek crowd, these are horrible casting choices.
Certainly, Jackman and Hathaway would be better for both age and singing voices.
Gordon-Levitt could play either Sky or Nathan, actually. He has played jaded before at a much younger age (e.g., Manic, Brick, Stop-Loss), and the youth of those characters did not make his world-weariness any less convincing but in fact even more palpable. As for the singing, if he were to do this project, he'd no doubt invest in serious vocal training (as ANY actor would). Besides, he'd already be starting off as a better singer than Brando ever was.
As for the Nathan role... I personally don't see what would be implausible about a man in his 30s having been involved with someone for 14 years since they were in their teens. Regardless I don't think altering this detail if necessary would change the gist of this story in any material way whatsoever.
That said, I do think the studio is going for a younger crowd (the most profitable moviegoing demographic: 18-34 year olds). So the likes of Jackman and Crowe are right out, and even Ewan McGregor is looking a little long in the tooth, here.
OTOH Hathaway and Gordon-Levitt are the same age, early 30s. I would not be surprised at all if she ends up in the cast. She and Tatum have both worked with Gordon-Levitt on previous projects, including with Gordon-Levitt's production company.
Personally I think this project sounds quite promising and exciting just on the possible involvement of Joseph Gordon-Levitt alone; he very often finds a way to bring something special to the table. If they add Anne Hathaway and mix it up with Sutton Foster, we could be in for a real treat. Let's see what happens...
In the 1955 movie, they omitted "My Time of Day/I've Never Been in Love Before" because the bigwigs decided that the harmonies of the former were too sophisticated for a film audience, and Marlon Brando couldn't sing the latter.
So if one can embrace the 1955 version with that giant omission, in addition to Brando sing-talking his way through "Luck Be a Lady," I think Gordon-Levitt has a fair shot at doing a LOT better.
And I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss JGL's ability to pull off a suave, gambling, womanizing Sky, either. He's playing a Lothario in the upcoming movie Don Jon, and a cocky gambler in the upcoming Sin City 2. This man has successfully taken on numerous different types of characters before, from metal-head stoner to rookie cop, so I'm willing to bet a thousand 😉 he could do this, as well.