THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

[jo]

YESSS... he's confirmed he's trying to work out filming location in Australia for GREATEST SHOWMAN...and WOLVERINE 3 as well!

www.msn.com/en-au/sport/watch/home-soil-films/vp-AAdTT8K


I wonder if he is planning to make some casting decisions from the audition results for his Broadway to Oz concert series - triple threats, orchestra, crew ??


Jo

[jo]

It's official -- GREATEST SHOWMAN ON EARTH is now slated for a December 25, 2017 release date!


www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hugh-jackmans-greatest-showman-earth-824884

Hugh Jackman's 'Greatest Showman on Earth' Pushed a Year to Christmas 2017



by Pamela McClintock

9/18/2015 8:40pm PDT

As part of the shuffling, Fox relocates Tim Burton's 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' to Christmas 2016, while pulling DreamWorks Animation's 'Captain Underpants' from the schedule.


Fox has made several key changes to its release calendar, including pushing back musical biopic The Greatest Showman on Earth, starring Hugh Jackman as circus impresario P.T. Barnum, from Dec. 25, 2016 to Dec. 25, 2017.

Instead, director Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will open on Christmas Day in 2016. The film, based on Ransom Riggs' debut novel, had been scheduled to launch March 4, 2016. It makes sense for Fox to shift Peculiar Children, since Disney opens Burton's sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass, on May 27, 2016.


It's likely that Greatest Showman on Earth, directed by Michael Gracey, is being relocated in order to accommodate the next outing in Fox's Wolverine franchise, dated for March 3, 2017 and directed by James Mangold. Both movies are in pre-production.



Fox also dated three new films...

[jo]

There is of course some disappointment about the delay...although it seemed that this was going to happen when Hugh signed up for Collateral Beauty and when he organized his concert series when he dropped out from CB.

Musicals, especially dramatic musicals, do take a long time ( sometimes a very long time, as in the case of Les Miserables, Phantom, Into the Woods, etc) before movie audiences get to see them, unfortunately

But I am glad that a Christmas Day release ( albeit in 2017) has been assured. I was a little apprehensive that this choice spot ( Christmas Day 2017 release) might have been grabbed earlier by the live animation remake of "Beauty and the Beast" ( although that could come out in 2016 because they are now or have completed filming) or by the first sequel to "Avatar".

Hopefully, this musical is not going to be just a modest affair but will provide both drama and spectacle...and an exciting ( and likely contemporary) musical score!


Jo

[jo]

Does he now mention GREATEST SHOWMAN ON EARTH in interviews ?

www.calgarysun.com/2015/10/04/pan-hugh-jackman-says-blackbeard-pirate-role-was-a-joy-to-play

Jackman is in showman mode these days. He’s even shepherding a movie project that would have him playing the legendary ringmaster P.T. Barnum.

This is another movie persona that will likely enhance his versatility in the eyes of the public.

[foxie]

We will see what he says this week in his multitude of interviews!!

[jo]

www.playbill.com/news/article/pasek-and-paul-talk-hugh-jackman-and-greatest-showman-film-369027

Pasek and Paul Talk Hugh Jackman and "Greatest Showman" Film

By Olivia Clement
04 Nov 2015


At the Oct. 26 Dramatists Guild Fund Gala in New York City, Tony-nominated songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul opened up to Playbill.com about what it's been like to collaborate with stage and screen star Hugh Jackman on the upcoming live-action 20th Century Fox film musical "The Greatest Showman on Earth."

"His talents are abounding and seem to know no limits," said Paul. "It's exciting to write something knowing that every moment along the way, you're hearing it in your head as the voice of that character and how he's going to embody that song or that melody or that lyric."

The duo confirmed that the project, slated for release in 2017, was "still in development." The film stars Jackman as real-life circus impresario P.T. Barnum.

"[Jackman] is an incredibly giving actor and incredibly humble and hardworking," continued Paul. "We've done some workshops and some readings of the project, and he's the hardest-working guy in the room. He gives everybody else a run for their money, which is pretty amazing."

The duo were at the benefit event to thank Ben Platt, the star of their musical Dear Evan Hansen. "[He] makes us feel all kinds of things including lucky, inspired, old and more and more. He's an incredible young actor," said Paul. That musical arrives Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre in March 2016.

According to a recent report by the Hollywood Reporter, Fox has pushed back the release of "The Greatest Showman on Earth" from Dec. 25, 2016, to Dec. 25, 2017. In addition to Pasek and Paul, the film is set to feature song contributions by Bonnie McKee, Brian Lapin and "Scissor Sisters" front man Jake Shears. Side Show and "Dreamgirls" director Bill Condon wrote the screenplay for the film that is being directed by Michael Gracey.

[mamaleh]

Well, at least it's still on the burner--albeit the back one.

Ellen

[jo]

A bit of background on P.T. Barnum --

cedarrepublican.com/local_history/p-t-barnum-s-famous-circus-comes-to-the-mozarks/article_57dd6186-83ff-11e5-8593-0b06ab1bdb42.html

Posted: Friday, November 6, 2015 2:30 pm

By Paul W. Johns | 0 comments




After his great success with Jenny Lind’s USA tour, P.T. Barnum built New York City’s largest theater, and to encourage families to attend gave it the unlikely name of the Moral Lecture Room. He started the nation’s first theatrical matinees at this theater also to encourage families to attend. After he had returned from Europe, P.T. became a teetotaler, so his first production at the theater was called “The Drunkard,” which emphasized the dangers of drinking. P.T. also adapted Shakespearean plays and an adaptation of the book, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” so they were watchable by families. He also put on a series of popular baby contests at his theater. In 1853, P.T. started a pictorial weekly newspaper he called “Illustrated News.” In 1854 he wrote his autobiography, “Life of P.T. Barnum,” which would sell more than one million copies and was admired by Mark Twain. He also invested in Jerome Clock Company by loaning the company money to get it to move to his new industrial park in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he lived.

In 1856, the Jerome Clock Company went bankrupt, taking much of his wealth with it. However, P.T.’s friends supported him. Tom Thumb, who was touring on his own, contacted P.T. and they toured Europe together. P.T. also took to the lecture circuit and became known as a temperance speaker talking about the evils of alcohol. With the money he made from these ventures, he was able to expand the wax-figure department at his museum, create a rogues gallery and build an exhibit of the Seven Wonders of the World. In addition, he took a leap of faith again and spent a large sum of money putting in America’s first aquarium, which drew many paying customers to the museum. Late in 1860, the famous conjoined twins, Chang and Eng, came out of retirement and appeared at his museum for six weeks. P.T. was able to construct a mansion he called Lindencroft. During the Civil War, P.T. supported the Union cause. In 1864, he hired Pauline Cushman, an actress who had served as a spy for the Union to lecture on her thrilling adventures.

Disaster struck July 13, 1865 when his museum burned to the ground. P.T. rebuilt the museum at another location, but it, too, burned in March 1868. P.T. retired from the museum business. P.T. also took a foray into politics, being elected to the state legislature of Connecticut in 1865. He ran for Congress in 1867, but did not win. In 1875, he became mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut. In 1878, P.T. helped found the Bridgeport Hospital and served as its first president.

Back in 1870, P.T. had branched out into a new business — P.T. Barnum’s Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan and Hippodrome. It was a combination of traveling circus, menagerie and traveling museum of what was then called freaks. The name later was changed to P.T. Barnum’s Traveling World’s Fair, Great Roman Hippodrome and Greatest Show on Earth. When he merged with the circus of James Bailey in 1881, it became Barnum and Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth. It was the first circus with three rings of acts going at the same time. Its first major attraction was Jumbo, the African elephant P.T. bought from the London Zoo in 1882. P.T.’s circus was the first to travel by train, and he was the first circus owner to own his own train. P.T. and James Bailey split in 1885, then re-partnered in 1888. Their circus toured the world. Prior to each performance, P.T. would circle the arena riding in a horse-drawn chariot. Perhaps P.T. learned a lesson from the generosity of Jenny Lind, because in 1883 he gifted Tufts University in Massachusetts to the tune of $50,000, which would equate today to a gift of more than $1.5 million. P.T. suffered a stroke in 1890 during a performance of his circus and died April 7, 1891 at the age of 81. His circus sold to the Ringling Brothers in 1907 and continued under his name alone until 1919 when the two circuses were combined and became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Although he was long dead, his circus came to Springfield in September 1930. The circus advertised a man who was billed as a human bullet and was fired from a canon at each performance, as well as Goliath, the monster sea elephant. They also advertised elephants, and the performance of a three-tier human pyramid balanced on wires 40 feet above the floor. The notice in the Friday, Sept. 5, 1930, newspaper went on to say, “These are among the unique, spectacular thrills offered by the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, ‘greatest show on earth,’ in two performances at Glenstone Road and St. Louis Street today.”

P.T. Barnum was one of the bestknown men in America during his lifetime, and he was quite a character. At his museum some 38 million customers paid the 25 cent admission between 1841 and 1865. At one point P.T. noticed visitors were lingering too long at the exhibits and slowing down the flow of paid spectators. So he posted signs with arrows saying, This way to egress. Most of the visitors did not know Egress was another word for exit, and followed the signs thinking they were going to see something they had never heard of before. Instead, they ended up outside with a self-locking door closed behind them. There have been several movies made about P.T. Barnum, and even a Broadway musical based on his life. A new movie, “The Greatest Showman on Earth,” is due to be released in December 2016 with Hugh Jackman playing the role of P.T.

The release date has been moved to December 25, 2017.
..

[jo]

We've finally heard one of the songs from the prospective movie, which Hugh sang in his BROADWAY TO OZ show --

katch.me/fawnfatinky/v/9cb54c02-8cbe-3390-85e4-74a0edd095d2


It looks like THIS IS ME is going to be a real showstopper number. The lyrics ( what I could gather partly from the singing) sounds very interesting.

Phrases like --

*I am not a stranger to the dark
*?? away they say we don't want your broken heart
*Not ashamed of all the scars
*Run away, they say...we want to love you as you are
*I won't let them break me down
*As I know there is a place for us
*For we are glorious

*I make no apologies

*This is me
*This is who I am meant to be


Can you fill in the others ...or correct what I might have incorrectly heard

It is beginning to sound like more to do with his infatuation with Jenny Lind and his defiant response to public disapproval ??


I do like the melody, the build-up from a soft start to a strong finish! Even the way it was staged for the concert showed promise that it can be a showstopper number!

There is poignancy and defiance in the lyrics...energy, showmanship, strong singing voices involved in the staging.

Hopefully, there will be a press conference prior to the Sydney concerts ( not likely as the show has already opened in Melbourne) -- so off-topic questions ( about Greatest Showman and Wolverine 3) can be asked.

Jo

[jo]

A little off-topic:

I had been hoping that Anne Hathaway would be cast in the role of Jenny Lind, even if it is only a featured role, but now comes a report that Anne is now on her second trimester of her first pregnancy.

www.broadwayworld.com/article/Oscar-Winner-Anne-Hathaway-is-Pregnant-with-First-Child-20151127


So, my wishful thinking seems no longer feasible, if SHOWMAN films in the second half of 2016 and in Australia.

But congrats to Anne and husband Adam!

Jo

[njr]

Nov 27, 2015 15:01:12 GMT -5 jo said:

We've finally heard one of the songs from the prospective movie, which Hugh sang in his BROADWAY TO OZ show --

katch.me/fawnfatinky/v/9cb54c02-8cbe-3390-85e4-74a0edd095d2


It looks like THIS IS ME is going to be a real showstopper number. The lyrics ( what I could gather partly from the singing) sounds very interesting.

Phrases like --

*I am not a stranger to the dark
*?? away they say we don't want your broken heart
*Not ashamed of all the scars
*Run away, they say...we want to love you as you are
*I won't let them break me down
*As I know there is a place for us
*For we are glorious

*I make no apologies

*This is me
*This is who I am meant to be


Can you fill in the others ...or correct what I might have incorrectly heard

It is beginning to sound like more to do with his infatuation with Jenny Lind and his defiant response to public disapproval ??


I do like the melody, the build-up from a soft start to a strong finish! Even the way it was staged for the concert showed promise that it can be a showstopper number!

There is poignancy and defiance in the lyrics...energy, showmanship, strong singing voices involved in the staging.

Hopefully, there will be a press conference prior to the Sydney concerts ( not likely as the show has already opened in Melbourne) -- so off-topic questions ( about Greatest Showman and Wolverine 3) can be asked.

Jo

2nd line is "Hide away, they say 'cause we don't want your broken heart"
3rd line is "Can only be ashamed of all the scars"
4th line is "Run away, they say..no one will love you as you are"

A lot of the rest is indeciferable (sp?) Couldn't find in it the dictionary! Is it a word? LOL!

Nancy

[jo]

Thanks

Jo

[jo]

LOLOL!

The unofficial clip has now found itself on Broadwayworld's uploaded video clips


www.broadwayworld.com/videoplay.php?colid=1186934

[jo]

A budding actor tweets --

Ryan Makepeace ‏@ryan_Makepeace · 6m6 minutes ago
Great work on #BroadwayToOz @realhughjackman. Playing #ThisIsMe is a great promo for a new film. I'd love to have a go on that job in Sydney

Did he learn from the grapevine that SHOWMAN is definitely filming in Sydney?


Jo

[foxie]

Hope we don't lose him back to Australis!!

[hughmanity]

Between Wolverine 3 and Greatest Showman it looks like we might!  I always liked the idea of his being in such close proximity to where I live...frequently driving up the West Side Highway, passing his building and hoping to catch a glimpse -lol. Oh well, guess I will get used to the idea that Australia is really his home and he is truly and appropriately a "global citizen"!  I am kind of curious about the kids' schooling,,,I remember him saying they had to get back in September for Ava's school and now she's in Australia and it is summer

Dec 6, 2015 6:04:23 GMT -5 foxie said:

Hope we don't lose him back to Australis!!

[jo]

On a side note --

It seems Pasek and Paul are quite busy with projects with musical elements both for film and TV. I wonder if the part of the score written by them for GREATEST SHOWMAN has already been workshopped? Did they write THIS IS ME?

deadline.com/2015/12/nbc-voice-of-the-city-drama-claudia-shear-1201658214/

[mamaleh]

Most signs seem to indicate that SHOWMAN (and probably the final Wolverine movie) will be filmed in Australia.

Ellen

[jo]

EW.com has updated on the AVATAR sequels and said that the first sequel will be released in 2017.

www.ew.com/article/2015/12/11/avatar-2-james-cameron


Some sites have reported, quoting the EW.com update, that it will be released on December 25, 2017! There is no indication that Fox has officially announced that date ( no update on Box Office Mojo or IMDB) and I hope the other sites are just speculating because the initial sequel was supposed to have been due on December 25, 2016. Here are the sites that mention a release date of December 25,2017 --

www.latino-review.com/news/james-cameron-gives-avatar-sequel-update

www.cinemablend.com/new/Why-James-Cameron-Nervous-About-Avatar-2-99737.html

while this one talks of " a late 2017 release" --

www.joblo.com/movie-news/james-cameron-hopes-that-avatar-2-will-prove-that-the-first-one-was-no-fluke-181




I mention it here because GREATEST SHOWMAN was initially given the slot of December 25, 2016, after James Cameron had indicated that he would not make that release date. Unfortunately, SHOWMAN was pushed back to December 25, 2017, as announced by FOX.

Boxofficemojo reports two conflicting release dates for GREATEST SHOWMAN -- one for December 25 and another for December 27 ( Wednesday), 2017. Fox is also releasing an animation movie (Croods) the previous Friday.

www.boxofficemojo.com/schedule/?view=bydate&release=theatrical&date=2017-12-01&showweeks=5&p=.htm

www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=greatestshowman.htm



Hope the release plan holds for GREATEST SHOWMAN...and that the other sites were simply speculating on the release date for AVATAR 2 simply because the original release date was Christmas Day 2016.

But it does sound a bit worrisome for the release date of GREATEST SHOWMAN ON EARTH. Both movies are FOX productions and releases, so maybe another good date could be found for SHOWMAN if they decide to give the slot to AVATAR 2! Here is the present release schedule for 2017 -- please scroll down to see the last quarter slate for 2017 --

www.boxofficemojo.com/schedule/?view=bydate&release=theatrical&yr=2017


Jo

[jo]

uproxx.com/gammasquad/2015/12/deadpool-chimichanga-imax-trailer/


It seems it was James Cameron himself who said that the target release date for the first sequel is Christmas 2017 -- which is the latest announced date for GREATEST SHOWMAN. It is likely that Fox will move SHOWMAN to another date if Cameron can assure them closer to that date that he is on target to finish the first sequel in time for Christmas 2017.

We'll see -- although it is disappointing if SHOWMAN does not get a holiday release date as well ( such as Thanksgiving Day) as this is meant to be a family movie ( although maybe the entire family may be cleaning up store shelves instead of box office tills that shopping weekend ).

I guess so long as the movie turns out to be well-made and well-promoted, it can really be released on any weekend, preferably in the summer or in the awards season.

Hurry, Hugh


Jo

[jo]

Someone has posted this on the Broadwayworld message board --

sunflower2
Send PM
Swing
joined:1/7/09

Hugh Jackman in Barnum.#10
Posted: 1/16/16 at 4:17pm


After they pushed it back last year, I thought this was filming late summer/fall this year after Jackman finishes the next Wolverine movie but now I've seen some info that it's starting this March? Anyone heard anything about that?

I did see a mention on the weekly updates on PRODUCTION WEEKLY from last week, but since I am not a subscriber to the site, there were no details.

But I hope there is official word soon! I wonder if the casting of Zac Efron materialized?

And how will this affect the schedule of WOLVERINE 3, which is due for release on March 3, 2017? Maybe they can reset the release date to summer instead of late winter next year?

[jo]

WHEW !!!!!!!!!!!!



www.slashfilm.com/avatar-2-delayed-again-wont-meet-christmas-2017-window/

‘Avatar 2’ Delayed, Will Not Arrive in Christmas 2017

Posted on Thursday, January 21st, 2016 by Ethan Anderton



For anyone who was excited to see James Cameron‘s long-gestating Avatar 2 take on Star Wars: Episode VIII for a Christmas box office battle royale, we have some bad news. Avatar 2 will not be ready to meet the Christmas 2017 release that was staked out for the sequel. Though the release date was never officially claimed by 20th Century Fox, Cameron himself said they were targeting the holiday release window just last month. But now we have no idea when the sequel might hit the big screen.

The Wrap has the news of Avatar 2 delayed, though at this point we’re not surprised. For the past few years Avatar 2 has been rumored for 2014, 2015, 2016 and most recently 2017. But when Cameron did mention the previous Christmas 2017 target, he added that meeting that date wasn’t as important as “the fact that when we get all three films done, we drop them a year apart.”




There was already speculation that Avatar 2 wasn’t going to meet the estimated release when Star Wars: Episode VIII moved to December 15th, 2017, a full seven months after the previously planned May 2017 release date. Disney clearly knew they weren’t going to have any major competition at the box office and also wanted that Christmas money for their merchandise release. Plus, there’s no way Disney would willingly take on Avatar 2 with the chance of having a smaller IMAX screen count, especially when there’s an Avatar installment planned for their theme parks.

So perhaps now that Star Wars: Episode VIII has laid claim to December for at least the next couple years, 20th Century Fox will take Avatar 2 to the summer of 2018 with the third and fourth movies following in 2019 and 2020. As of now Fox isn’t making any new date estimates, and it’s probably best to just let Cameron make the movies and then figure out when to release them when they’re done.

As of now, all we know about Avatar 2 is that Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana are reprising their lead roles, underwater performance capture technology will be used, and there’s a chance that Sigourney Weaver might be back in some capacity. Otherwise, any story details are being kept under tight wraps.

In the end, the fact that it’s taking this long for Avatar 2 to come to fruition isn’t all that surprising. James Cameron first announced Avatar as a future project of his in 1996, and audiences didn’t get to see it until 2009. Hopefully fans won’t have to wait 13 years for Avatar 2, though at this point they’ve already waited a little over six, so what’s another seven years?

At least, at the moment, SHOWMAN can hang on to its Christmas Day release. True, the next STAR WARS will debut on 15 December 2017 and will probably be box office king for a few weeks ... but I think SHOWMAN has a chance for a respectable showing from Christmas Day onwards and the busy end-of-year award season for 2017.

I think the mid-December release date for the next STAR WAR sequel was chosen ( and not Christmas Day) because Disney must have wanted to launch their related merchandise in time for Christmas gift-giving! I have read somewhere that they have already sold about $700 million worth of merchandise to-date.

time.com/4188070/star-wars-the-force-awakens-toys-700-million-2015/


Hmmm.... I wonder if SHOWMAN will have its own lineup of circus merchandise -- maybe a complete collection of circus performers and animals

How about a come-on like " If you get the complete collection, you get free tickets for 3 people to a showing of SHOWMAN" ?

Jo

[jo]

Another angle to the delay in the AVATAR 2 release date --

collider.com/avatar-2-release-date-star-wars-episode-8-james-cameron/


And this is the original article which speculated on the reason for the delay in the release of AVATAR 2 --

www.thewrap.com/james-camerons-avatar-2-wont-be-ready-for-christmas-2017-exclusive/



I wonder if FOX might also be rethinking of finding another release date for GREATEST SHOWMAN during the awards season, to avoid the STAR WARS release ?



Jo

[jo]

I saw this interesting tweet the other day --

Chaz Wolcott ‏@dancinchaz · Feb 1
Lesson learned: If you spend your morning with @jackjsippel in NYC, then you will see Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron.

It seems that Wolcott is an actor who appeared in a production of NEWSIES and Sippel is a choreographer, based on their twitter accounts.


And other tweets that occurred the same day -=

Patrick Steven Bovo ‏@patrickbovo · Feb 1
When Zac Efron and Hugh Jackman walk past you at Pearl.... WHAT DAY IS IT WHAT IS HAPPENING

Danny Peter Smith ‏@dannypetersmith · Feb 1  Manhattan, NY
it's all cool when ur at an audition and zac efron and Hugh jackman r in the studios. Ttyl

Interesting bits of speculative tweets


*Has Zac been cast in GREATEST SHOWMAN? The last we heard was when he was supposed to be in talks for a key supporting role in the movie. Isn't  Zac supposed to be in a new movie with Robert DeNiro?

*Was it for more workshops for the movie musical?  Zac is a very good dancer and a competent singer, based on his hit Disney series HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL ... and on HAIRSPRAY which followed later on. At the Oscars in 2009, he, Vanessa H, Amanda S, Dominic Cooper and Beyoncé danced and sang with Hugh at the Oscars. Hope there is already a decision to cast him and that he is working with Hugh on developmental activities (aka workshops)  for this long aborning movie musical. 

I wonder when the final decision will be made for a final greenlight for the movie?   And when do they start filming? There have been scant news on the film project ( other than what Pasek and Paul updated in that Playbill interview last year on their work here)...But Hugh sounded very categorical when he announced in BROADWAY TO OZ that he was filming a movie musical in Australia in 2016, helmed by fellow Aussie Michael Gracey, and that one of the new songs composed for the musical was THIS IS ME.




If they film after a short break after WOLVERINE 3 , we will likely see a very muscular P.T.Barnum


Jo

[jo]

And maybe this is the "Pearl" mentioned on one of the tweets --

Pearl Studios NYC - PearlStudiosNyc.com‎

Adwww.pearlstudiosnyc.com/‎

[phone]
New well equipped studios of all sizes Pianos,mirrors, sprung floors

which further seems to confirm that Hugh and Zac may have been there presumably for additional workshops?


Jo