DreamCast: Les Mis

Cameron Mackintosh has confirmed a Les Mis movie to come out in 2012. This could be great. And it got me to thinking about translating these iconic parts to Hollywood. Here is who I would cast for a movie (assuming/pretending they would all sing the parts perfectly).


I LOVED the 25th Anniversary Tour's choice to cast an African-American as Valjean. I ended up seeing his understudy, but I still thought it was a modern & awesome casting choice. Denzel Washington can play the criminal, the man on a holy journey, the protective father, the fighter on the streets, and he can age very well on film.


I only know Jessica Capshaw from Grey's Anatomy, but that is enough for me to see her as a great Fantine. Any actor on that show has to tackle a wide & crazy range of emotion in each 40-some minute episode. Considering that Fantine's entire whirlwind occurs within the first 35 minutes of Les Mis, I feel that JC would be used to having to climb emotional mountains at warped speed. She is also a steel magnolia, conveys some sense of an innate goodness, and is so pretty.

Clive Owen is the perfect picture of Javert in my mind's eye. He is brilliant, intense, well-rounded, and captivating. And I would be totally fine with him using his British accent.

Jonathan Pryce as Thenardier is a musical theatre lover's dream articulated. I feel like he must have played the part before and I missed the boat. It would be so exciting to hear his interpretation of Thenardier's great, offensive, loaded lines. He is timeless, ageless, and a comedic genius who is one of very few that could reimagine the more imagined character in the show. Speaking of comedic genius, let's talk about Amy Poehler. I don't know if she sings, but I feel like I can already hear her voice bringing a whole new humor to Mme. Thenardier's situation. She would bring a fresh, contemporary take on a role that has become somewhat routine due to the successful re-interpretations of previous actresses.

Kristen Stewart has become an icon of the awkward female wallflower, and Eponine is nothing if not that. Plus, that girl rakes it in at the box office & that can't hurt anything.

In The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg played a character who gladly & knowingly allowed an unrelenting focus on the pursuit of his goals to cost him everything. People were pawns & nothing stood in the way of his common goal, which become the common ground of everyone around him. This is why I can see JE as Enjolras. He can convey an idealism clouded with human faults, lofty goals, and immature execution of those goals.

James Franco seems to be cast as every type of guy, and part of Marius' role is to provide a face & beloved character to all those bodies littering the barricades. He plays a perfect lover & has a youthful energy that could create an especially endearing edge to a potentially bland role.

Carey Mulligan is the perfect Cosette because her acting method is so delicate & deliberate. She breathes life & volume into quiet, pretty roles. She also looks like she could be Jessica Capshaw's daughter, which should always be considered in the casting of the role. I loved the 25th Anniversary Tour's choice to make Cosette blonde. It made me think, why didn't they think of this (and this) a long time ago...