THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

[jo]

The period look is very distinct --

[jo]

Jeffrey Wells/Hollywood Elsewhere --sometimes controversial but insightful (aka inside track/good source of gossip/buzz) Hollywood columnist...a site which has quite a number of film buffs usually responding to the site speculations/observarions) has pinned down THE GREATEST SHOWMAN and HUGH JACKMAN as a strong Oscar candidate --

www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2017/04/another-musical-best-pic-finalist/#more-100700

Another Musical Best Pic Contender?

If nothing else, Cinemacon 2017 persuaded me that three previewed films may well become finalists in the 2017/18 Best Picture race — Alexander Payne‘s Downsizing, Steven Chbosky and Steven Conrad‘s Wonder (this year’s Lion-like contender) and The Greatest Showman, an apparently sumptuous musical biopic about the legendary P.T. Barnum with Hugh Jackman in the title role.






Pic costars Zac Efron, Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Williams, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Zendaya. It’s been directed by Australian commercial director and (uh-oh) “visual effects artist” Michael Gracey and written by Michael Arndt, Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon. A handsome, spirited trailer (pic’s dp is Seamus McGarvey) was screened.

Showman‘s musical numbers were composed by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the lyricists for Justin Hurwitz‘s La La Land tunes.

The Greatest Showman has been in the planning stages for several years. Gracey was hired to direct in August 2011. Principal photography began on 11.22.16.

Jackman’s presentation of the forthcoming 12.25 release was the highlight of the 20th Century Fox Cinemacon show, which was easily the finest and grandest of all.

Rather than just highlight their action and CG-driven gutslam releases (as Universal did), Fox ballyhooed a varied slate — Snatched (5.12), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (5.19), Alien: Covenant (5.19), War for the Planet of the Apes (7.14), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (9.29), The Mountain Between Us (10.20), Red Sparrow (11.10), Murder on the Orient Express (11.22 — Johnny Depp plays the murdered guy), Ferdinand (12.15) and The Greatest Showman.



Jackman during his Cinemacon pitch for The Greatest Showman.


Accurate P.T. Barnum quote: “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.”

Possibly inaccurate P.T. Barnum quote: “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

H.L. Mencken quote sometimes mis-attributed to Barnum: “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.”

W.C. Fields quote sometimes mis-attributed to Barnum: “Never give a sucker an even break.”

[jo]

Jeffrey Wells/Hollywood Elsewhere also has a regular feature where he assigns informal handicaps, which are updated as movies are previewed and/or are released and critic ratings are given. He calls it the OSCAR BALLOON --

www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/

Please scroll down --

Likeliest 2017 Best Picture Contenders(8): Kathryn Bigelow's Untitled 1967 Detroit Riots Docudrama, written by Mark Boal; Alexander Payne's Downsizing (Paramount, 12.22); Paul Thomas Anderson Anderson's semi-fictionalized biopic about legendary egomaniacal fashion designer Charles James; Luca Guadagnino's Call Me By Your Name (Sony Pictures Classics); Michael Gracey and Hugh Jackman's The Greatest Showman (20th Century Fox, 12.25); Alfonso Cuaron's Roma; Chris Nolan's Dunkirk (Warner Bros., 7.19); Stephen Chbosky's Wonder (Lionsgate, 11.17).


Pick of the Litter, Brand-Name Directors, Made For Intelligent, Review-Reading, Over-35 Types (23) Olivier Assayas' Personal Shopper w/ Kristen Stewart (IFC Films, 3.10.17); Steven Spielberg's The Kidnapping of Edgardo Montara; Darren Aronofsky's Mother; Todd Haynes' Wonderstruck (Amazon); Steven Soderbergh's Logan Lucky; Matt Reeves' War For The Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox, 7.14.17); John Curran's Chappaquiddick; Richard Linklater's Last Flag Flying; Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Fox Searchlight); David Gordon Green's Stronger (Summit); David Michod's War Machine (Netflix); George Clooney's Suburbicon (Paramount); Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water; Dan Gilroy's Inner City; Jacques Audiard's The Sisters Brothers; Abdellatif Kechiche's Mektoub Is Mektoub; Yorgos Lanthimos' The Killing of A Sacred Deer; Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris's Battle of the Sexes (Fox Searchlight); Jason Reitman's Tully; Doug Liman's American Made (Universal, 9.29.17); Adam McKay's Untitled Dick Cheney Drama (Paramount); Hany Abu Assad's The Mountain Between Us.


Question Mark: Terrence Malick's Radegund, a World War II drama about an Austrian conscientious objector who was executed by the Nazis, starring August Diehl and Valerie Pachner (shot last summer but you know Malick -- it might not be released until '18 or even '19);


Expensive Fantasy-Thriller-Galactic Smart Brands (3)Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 (Warner Bros., 10.6.17); Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII (12.15.17); Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant (20th Century Fox, 5.19).


Other 2017 Films of Interest (23): Roman Polanski's Based On A True Story; Woody Allen's Wonder Wheel, a period piece set in a 1950s amusement park, shot by Vittorio Storaro; Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky's The Polka King; Wim Wenders' Submergence; Destin Daniel Creton's The Glass Castle; Jason Hall's Thank You For Your Service; Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express (20th Century Fox, 11.22.17); Loveless by Leviathan director Andrey Zvyagintsev; Lucrecia Martel's Zama; Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird; Brady Corbet's Vox Lux; Dominic Cooke's On Chesil Beach; Micheal Mayer and Anton Chekhov's The Seagull; Michael Haneke's Happy Ending; Edgar Wright's Baby Driver (TriStar, 8.11); Oren Moverman's The Dinner (The Orchard, 5.5.17); Daniel Espinosa's Life (Columbia, 3.24.17); Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's The Current War (Weinstein Co.); Andrew Haigh's Lean on Pete (A24); Arnaud Desplechin's Ismael's Ghosts (Magnolia); Andrew Dosunmu's Where Is Kyra?; Scott Cooper's Hostiles; Doug Liman's The Wall (Amazon/Roadside, 3.10).


Probably Won't Open Until 2018 (2): Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria; Alex Garland's Annihilation.
Plus: Aaron Sorkin's Molly's Game, Xavier Dolan's The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled. (3)

[jo]

[jo]

Also from Jeffrey Wells ( Hollywood Elsewhere) --

Final Cinemacon Blast: White Neon Light Sabre Electraglow

I meant to post this over the weekend but didn’t. 20th Century Fox’s Cinemacon presentation happened four days ago, but I have to mention what a knockout it was — a real “That’s Entertainment!” extravaganza complete with singing and dancing and white-glow-rod costumes. What a jolt to see the familiar Fox logo suddenly re-defined by white tubular neon — it took my breath away. I had to share at least this.





Must be the influence of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

After all, P.T. Barnum was the first famous impresario and coined the word " Showbusiness"!

[jo]

Apr 3, 2017 3:03:52 GMT -5 jo said:

The NewYorkPost unveils the "chicanery" behind THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

nypost.com/2017/04/03/hugh-jackman-circus-flick-uses-mechanical-bull-instead-of-elephant/

Hugh Jackman won’t be riding real elephant in upcoming circus flick
By David K. Li
April 3, 2017 | 3:52am | Updated



Hugh Jackman

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, welcome to the fakest show on earth.

Hugh Jackman tried to prove the adage oft attributed to P.T. Barnum — “There’s a sucker born every minute” — by pretending to ride an elephant while filming a scene for an upcoming biopic about the 19th-century New York City showman.

The “Logan” star bounced along on a mechanical mammoth during a movie shoot Saturday on Centre Street in lower Manhattan.

The crude-looking fake beast will be replaced by a computer-generated pachyderm in post-production.
“The Greatest Showman” is set to be released on Christmas Day.

Filmmakers didn’t say why they opted for CGI (although the difficulty of wrangling an elephant in Manhattan was likely a factor) — but the circus that bears Barnum’s name, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, stopped using live elephants last year and is closing for good next month, in part because of controversy over performing animals.

Jackman said the flick will honor Barnum and the “creativity and what is unique about each and every one of us.”
The ringmaster’s wife, Charity Barnum, is being played by Michelle Williams, pictured with the couple’s on-screen daughters.

There is a reason why the movies represent the world of make-believe!


Does David Li ( author's article) honestly believe that there is a real KONG who lived on Skull Island?

Does he also truly believe that THE BEAST's face was real ( and not made up through the wonders of CGI) before he turned back into a Prince again, for BEAUTY to behold?

Does he really think that THE MARTIAN was filmed on Planet Mars...and not on Planet Hollywood?


LOLOL!


Jo

Maybe the article from the NewYorkPost is reverse praise for how the filmmakers are handling the sensitive issue of animal rights?

If so, mea culpa

Jo

[jo]

[hughmanity]

Apr 3, 2017 20:26:37 GMT -5 jo said:

Just slightly different.....lol

[jo]

Dubious characters then, both of them! I was travelling then when the movie was released and I had to find a cinema in London to be able to see DECEPTION on its first day of release in 2008. The movie was Hugh's very first producing effort under his defunct SEED banner -- it wasn't that well-received but it became almost cult-ish with some who liked its film noir-ish vibe!



Now it has come full circle for Hugh and Michelle! Nine years later!

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN ( Christmas 2017) is a completely different storyline, a biopic structure, and one based more on music and spectacle, compared to the seedy Manhattan night life background of DECEPTION!

Polar opposites of the characters portrayed in the first movie. Although Hugh portrays both compelling charmers in the two movies but as a villain in the dark drama (DECEPTION)...while Michelle will portray different personalities.

Amazingly, Hugh is also a lead producer for the new project, which was initially announced more than 7 years ago under the SEED banner!





Jo

[mamaleh]

Post reporter Li answered his own question: "controversy over performing animals." Duh.

Ellen

[jo]

Daily Mail scoop!

www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4377858/Hugh-Jackman-cuts-dapper-look-blue-suit-New-York.html


Scroll down fast and find the video frame (with the arrow), the very first video clip, to see the scene being acted out by the Barnum family as they leave from the evening entertainment. It looks like Charity is having a lively time with the younger daughter while the older one and Papa Barnum seem to have a bit of disagreement




Jo

[jo]

Looks familiar

[jo]

Variety sums up the list of winners and losers at the last CinemaCon --

variety.com/2017/film/news/cinemacon-2017-winners-losers-1202021903/

Excerpts :

Movie studios flocked to Las Vegas for CinemaCon last week hoping to prove to theater owners that they had the goods. Not everyone left Sin City a winner: Some high-profile releases fizzled, while others were greeted with a collective “meh.” But a few lucky companies and blockbuster hopefuls left the exhibition industry trade show well positioned to make a box office killing. Here’s a look at which fortunes rose and which collapsed after four days in the desert.


Fox
WINNER

The studio dazzled with a bold and diverse group of upcoming releases. Jennifer Lawrence’s “Red Sparrow” looked sexy and filled with intrigue, Kenneth Branagh’s “Murder on the Orient Express” seemed arch and suspenseful, and Hugh Jackman’s “The Greatest Showman” had the audience literally dancing in the aisles.


More...

[jo]

Some film bloggers ask " Who is Michael Gracey?

It's hard to find much info on Michael...but I found this bio on his professional career, dated probably after the successful Lipton Tea commericial with Hugh Jackman --

From Tourism Australia --

www.tourism.australia.com/documents/Bio_MichaelGracey.pdf

MICHAEL GRACEY

Growing up as the son of a photographer, PRODIGY director Michael Gracey began shooting and developing film from an early age. The visual prodigy left school to become the youngest employee at world famous Academy award winning post production company Animal Logic.

In 2002, Michael’s directorial debut won the ARIA award for best music video. He has since won the ARIA an additional three times and has worked with a wide range of artists from the Sugababes and Alesha Dixon to Natasha Bedingfield and Will Young. SourceEcreative recently described his work as: “All are song and dance extravaganzas, with the [Will Young] ‘Your Game’ video being an astonishing mix of theatrics, dancing, effects and animation so deftly pulled off you’ll scratch your head as to how it was done.”

Michael has also directed several ads for brands like Evian, Fiat, McCain and Marks & Spencer. Michael signed with PRODIGY in 2006, Jonathan Samway, Executive Producer of Prodigy, comments, “by having someone of Michael Gracey’s calibre be a part of an already prestigious team cemented our creative standing in the industry.” His acclaimed commercial work has received numerous accolades including BTAA, Creative Circle and Midsummer Awards. His groundbreaking T-Mobile “Dance” spot won 3 Lions at Cannes and 2 Clios, including a Gold for Best Direction. His Evian “Roller Babies” commercial has become the Guinness Book of World Records’ most watched online ad with over 45 million hits worldwide. Michael’s amazing commercial success has continued with GAP’s exuberant winter holiday campaign and a non stop musical spot for Liptons featuring Hugh Jackman.

In addition to having an impressive body of work spanning both live action and animation, Michael has also directed live performances for the stage. His latest project, FASTLOVE, re-teams him with music producer Josh Abrahams from MOULIN ROUGE! to develop the 2010 Broadway musical. The hilarious yet poignant project is similar in structure to A CHORUS LINE, but instead of focusing on a troupe of dancers auditioning for a show, it centres on a group of struggling singles trying to find love by speed dating.

Along with his commercial, music video and stage pursuits, Michael is also working with the Roald Dahl estate to adapt some of the author’s beloved children’s books for the big screen. He recently joined forces with Guillermo del Toro to develop THE WITCHES for Warner Brothers. He is also collaborating with Disney and Jim Henson Productions to develop MUPPET MAN, a musical about the life of Jim Henson, the creative genius behind THE MUPPET and SESAME STREET franchises.

It is this general proficiency across multiple disciplines that distinguishes Michael from other directors. His creative depths are truly limitless, as he has proven time and again that he is as comfortable in a theatre as he is behind a camera or managing complex animations projects.

[jo]

No official announcement or even an indication on Hugh's social media messages, but it looks like the film may have wrapped. I heard the date for the film wrap was supposed to be April 3. And Hugh seems to be in a resting mode now

This post from a Visual Effects crewmember seems to indicate that the film may have actually wrapped now --

Brandon Endy
24 mins ·
Hugh Jackman requested we put Radioman in a shot and Steve Sands is taking pictures of it, is this the end of everything?

Unless he was referring to something else ( "End of everything") ?

[jo]

I've never heard of the legend of RADIOMAN in the context of filmmaking in New York City.

It seems Brandon Endy was referring to this --

whalebonemag.com/radioman-nyc-film-legend/

[jo]

Another confirming event ?

Shannon‏ @yeagerbombzzz 16m
16 minutes ago

cor just invited me to a wrap party for a movie he's been working on with hugh jackman zac efron and zendaya first thought is what do i wear

Typical feminine reaction ... Mine would be, too


Jo

[jo]

Before the film wrap party --

maybe the final scenes...filmed where it all started in November -- in Brooklyn


www.imgrum.org/media/1486646595201998659_990139930

@erik_lost_in_nyc

A horse drawn wagon which will make its debut in an upcoming movie they are shooting here on the south side of williamsburg brooklyn called "the greatest showman" i just like the wagon. Broadway 420. Hmmm. Theyre filming now on broadway and driggs by the bank across from peter lugers...

I've been to Peter Lugers  ...not exactly a bright lights area


Jo

[jo]

This looks better --

@kkbgotgame
Filming of The Greatest Showman down the street. Waiting for Hugh Jackman to show up. Jk, I have better things to do. Pretty cool period costumes, though. #brooklyn  #thegreatestshowman
 
Williamsburgh Savings Bank

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

Great! I think between this and the clip showing them after a night in town, plus that clip from CinemaCon, we have already seen the whole movie

jk

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

He's going to charm a lot of people in tbis movie, audiences included!