We reported on it briefly when the project was initially announced a little while ago and chuckled to ourselves at the prospect of a McG directed musical, but with more talk surfacing about the film, we’re kind of amazed that it actually could happen and that people are taking it seriously.
We have to admit, most of us at The Playlist don’t know much about the musical (though, one of our members positively bristled at the news), but what we can tell you (thank you Wikipedia) is that it’s a rock opera based on a German play from 1891 that was initially banned due to its frank portrayal of masturbation, bondage, suicide, child abuse, abortion, rape, and abortion. Sounds like a fun night out! Anyhow, the updated version keeps the 19th-century setting, but uses a score by Duncan Sheik (!?!?) and has been met with near universal raves winning both Tony and Grammy awards. Not too shabby.
Why then the project is now is in McG’s hands is anybody’s guess. The director has never shown an affinity for anything resembling the graceful or ambitious or just plain interesting camera work required for a musical. A McG directed musical frankly sounds terrifying and we hope producers out there feel the same way. Obviously, the project is in nascent stages and may never even get off the ground (one can dream), but it shows a director whose keenly interested in dabbling in every genre possible and making each effort worst than the last.
