I’m Not There the film, named after a Bob Dylan song, is prompting lots of pieces on the biopic genre as a whole and whether or not Todd Haynes’s fascinating fractured identity portrait captures the man in question. It seems silly that most people will still have to wait months after all the media coverage to see this film (sigh) but thems the breaks with long form platform releasing and the Weinstein Co at the helm. Yikes.
But this got me to thinking about biopics and other musical shapeshifters.
Today’s comment activity poll: Cast a multiple actor I’m Not There rip-off biopic about Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone Penn Ritchie! We’ll call it “Nobody Knows Me” -- the closest biopic ready title from her discography to match that missing Dylan identity song.
Ready, set, go...
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34 comments:
Kirsten Dunst, Jude Law
but why. make sure to list why and which "aspect" of madonna they're playing
Sienna Miller as the young Madonna, a la Like a Virgin--she has the sexuality and some of the stupidity:-)
Kate Winslet: Madonna as Megastar--she has the range
Hugh Jackman: Madonna as mother, Evita, 1990s--I would kill to hear him sing Don't Cry For Me Argentina in a blonde wig.
Last one is tough. For some reason, I keep coming back to Sarah Jessica Parker or Kim Cattral as the current Madonna, hitting 50, yet still as muscular as ever, dancing up a storm with a British accent. I think SJP might actually be great.
Madonna kinda did this already in that awards show (on MTV?) where a series of drag queens embodied Madonna's various phases. And then she came on and said something like "It takes a real man to be me."
Matt Dallas as the youthful gamine, Scarlett Johansson as the True Blue-era bombshell, Jake Gyllenhaal representing a slightly cynical but infallible sense of working the business but then taking it too far, Audra McDonald as a comeback kid with newfound chops and a sincere desire to be good, Angelina Jolie as the spiritual mother of reinvention and Jeanne Moreau as the ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. I blogged about this already, but also: Helen Mirren would be unavailable and Courtney Love would get a callback but ultimately be sent packing.
Dakota Fanning as a young, naive, playful Madonna just starting out in her career. The young girl will portray her up until she gets signed for a record deal, even when she is in her early twenties. She will symnolise the youth and innocence before she has been taken in by the industry, but also the hidden maturity that young Madonna had (Dakota is freakishly like a 30 year old).
Kirsten Dunst will portray Madonna as she rises to fame in her "Holiday" period to just before "True Blue". She has the exhuberance and childish sexiness that Madonna had then, but also the world-weariness and self-awareness that were just under the surface.
Kate Winslet will play her from "True Blue" up to "Like A Prayer". Just watch "Romance & Cigarettes" and you'll see why. She'd win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Naomi Watts would play her in her "blonde" period from 1990, where Madonna tried to come through the "Prayer" controversy by re-inventing herself again as a blonde bombshell America's sweetheart, up to "Evita".
Nicole Kidman would portray her from "Ray Of Light" up to her marriage to Guy Ritchie. Kidman would be able to properly play her comeback, but also the cynical coldness with which she played the media, knowing how they had played with her in the past.
Then, finally, we could have Madonna playing herself now,. ending with her induction into the Rock'n'roll Hall Of Fame.
Jennifer Hudson: The early years in Detroit.
Jude Law: the beginning of her career in New York and "Like a Virgin"
Keira Knightley: "True Blue" and "Who's that girl?" period and the marriage with Sean Penn (Heath Ledger?)
Kate Winslet: the Erotica period
Lisa Ray: Evita and Ray of Light, motherhood and return to stardom.
Q'rianka Kilcher: London, Confessions Tour, the children books, Guy Ritchie (Brad Pitt?), Stuart Price (Paul Rudd?) and a new career as director?
ScarJo => the early days. Ambitious, climbing into blondness and fame in NYC.
John Cameron Mitchell => hysterical young diva, changing hair colour every week, underplaying bad roles in every movie and getting spanked by Sean Penn every day.
Angelina Jolie => beggining in astonishing Erotica age, the scandalous days run 'til the magic touch of motherhood and Kabbalah.
Felicity Huffman => moving to Wisteria London for love, this desperate housewife sings mostly bedtime songs.
Helen Mirren => current Madonna. A genuine and politicized British lady confessing on the dancefloor.
helen mirren in a pink leotard!!!
I was trying to work out a way to include John Cameron Mitchell, and I think that Pivo pretty much nailed it.
I'm also seeing this as (yet another) comeback vehicle for Winona Ryder, but that may just be the "Papa Don't Preach" haircut giving me a false positive.
Kristin Bell as the young Madonna ready to set her mark on the world.
John Cameron Mitchell pivo nailed it on the head
Patti Lupone playing the Evita part once again (as Madonna), singing "Dont Cry For Me Argintina" on the silver screen.
Michelle Pfeiffer as the new mom and children's book writer
Helen Mirren as the new "London" Madonna, complete with British Accent
this is silly/
what had madoona given to the medium of cinema besides several pieces of antique wooden furniture/
Brittany Snow for everything pre-"Like a Virgin"...she's young and beautiful and, like Madonna, has a hunger for making the big time.
James Marsden for the period between the success of "Like a Virgin" and up through the "Like a Prayer" video...he would hilarious during this part of her life (and how funny would it be to see him do "Like a Virgin" during the VMA's or be as campy and corny as possible during Madonna's bad movies)
Toni Collette for the period from the "Like a Prayer" controversy through "Erotica" and the "Sex" book...Hollywood would object because she's not playing a frumpy, lonely woman, but she would sing and dance and raise hell like no one else.
Meryl Streep during the "Evita" stage...Streep campaigned for this role for years before Lupone got the Broadway version and Madonna got the film version and now she could finally play it.
Dame Judi Dench during her "Ray of Light" comeback through, roughly, "American Life"...Dame Judi made a comeback of sorts during this period (from only popular in Britain to household American name) and because she can play any role.
Angelina Jolie for the now period ("Confessions", Adoption Scandal)...Angelina definitely knows how to play the Hollywood humanitarian and mother.
Parker Posey: (instead of Sienna Miller) She would be the boy-toy/Daddy's girl, young, prepubescent Madonna. She could also bring a darkness to the pop light exterior to shade her Detroit roots.
Gael Garcia Bernal: He would be playing the gay male version of Madonna, because, there would have to be one (in my film).
Angelina Jolie: Madonna as mother. Maybe I was inspired by that recent illustration of Jolie.
Sean Young: She would be Madonna as failed film star, but be able to provide the range that Madonna couldn't as a tough-as-nails broad. It would also give us an excuse to get Young back in a juicy role.
Chita Rivera: The aged Madonna, consumate perfomer.
I haven't seen INT, and my order of casting is rather linear, but I did as well as I could to capture the spirit of the post.
I loved Matt Dallas, Jennifer Hudson, Keira Knightley, Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman, Dakota Fanning, Toni Collette, Meryl Streep. So many great ideas. Boy, Angelina Jolie was popular. I also thought of Britney Snow as boy-toy Madonna, but ScarJo would also be great.
I'm glad so many people picked ScarJo, but, I mean, come on - where's Cate Blanchett? Surely she could play a Madonna or two? Even if just to piss off Nathaniel :)
Lindsay Lohan - Early Madonna. Just for the similarities in looks, plus the fact that Lindsay crumbled where Mad's didn't.....could be a learning lesson for Li Lo.
I agree with Jake Gyllenhaal, but as True Blue/Who's That Girl Madonna (Only a man can carry those eyebrows these days.
Traci Lords - Like a Prayer Madonna. just to have a former porn star screw a black jesus. The film will need it's controversey
John Cameron Mitchelle - Blonde Ambition Bitch Madonna. 'Cause you know he would own it.
Toni Collette - Erotica/SEX Madonna. She could work a whip and this was Madonna's 'break down' phase. You need a thesp here.
Johnny Depp - Evita/Ray of Light Madonna. He would be my only choice to show the softer Madonna.
Linda Forentino - American Life Madonna. Dark hair/military sexy, cause men to pee themselves. Linda!!!
Current Madonna would have to be...Madonna
i love these suggestions but if you wanna go as literal as Haynes did with a woman playing Dylan at his most fey, than ya gotta have a man playing Madonna in her aggressive rise to the top early days.
billy d --that sienna miller comment made me LOL until I realized Maddy wasn't being dissed too. sneaky!
jack --i love the dakota suggestion... especially how far it goes. but the Kidman thing worries me. would the universe tear asunder at that fusion of calculation?
anonymous sometimes you need a little silly. Or at least I do
james henry Judi Dench!!! are you sure you don't wanna give her the Sex book phase? cuz she was pretty hot and bothered in Notes on a Scandal
vince thank you. gotta get a gay man in there
michael parsons from one fellow Madonnaholic to another and to Matthew too who also wrote the funnest book ever on her... Encyclopedia Madonnica ...i'm glad that you wrapped up your film with Madonna. Madonna = Madonna = Madonna 24/7.
or something. what am I talking about?
I honestly thought about putting Dame Judi during the Sex book phase, but I figured it was just a twisted (although rather hot) fantasy of mine.
What about little miss sunshine as madonna before losing her mom, and later dealing with her wicked stepmother,
than madonna´s life as a drummer and lead singer of pop- dance bands I would choose Alice Braga from city of god and low city, she can pull it off,if you saw those movies you get it!
madonna´virgin days and true blue it´s a job to a real man: Yeah Nat. I mean the man himself Hillary Skank, she´s god for ampas in those roles!
the whole like a prayer and blond ambition days, hum I could use some Hugh Jackman masturbating for the blond ambition, he could sing Sooner or later I always get my man! Come on boys do u believe in love?
and erotica would be Britney bitch! ha oh snap! a famous vagina in more artsy photos
I can call Michelle Pfeiffer for evita, cause she had singing lessons for the role and she would use it!
Cate Blanchett for Ray of light Era, cause she looks like a vision and so did Madonna
And closing with Brad Pitt as Madonna now, leotard just for you!the leotard would be wisely used don´t cha!
I can see both Anna Faris and Brittany Murphy taking it on for 80's and 90's Madonna
ooh Anna Faris. good one.
she would definitely unearth the comedy in Madonna's early years... or at least remind everyone that Madonna once had quite a sense of humor about herself (she still does but it only surfaces in blink-and-you'll-miss-it flashes these days)
I tkink you should throw Justin Bond into the mix somewhere.
^ Good one.
Charles Durning - the washed up Madonna still desperate for stardom
Shirley MacLaine - WOMG HOW DO I DISCOVERED SPIRITUALITY?
Octavia Spencer - Her short-lived comeback.
Teri Garr - Madonna as a mother.
Chloe Sevigny - 'Sex' - Madonna in her heyday
Ginnifer Goodwin - Madonna starting out in the business.
I do agree with Parker Posey, Anna Faris and Brittany Murphy. Parker Posey is FABULOUS with a capital FABULOUS, Anna Faris is hilarious and Brittany Murphy is the most underrated actress in motion pictures. People look at her and all they see is 'Clueless' and films of that vein... but if you look closely you can see that she is an actress of immense range and talent, as she has shown in parts such as Freeway, Common Ground, brandishing her comedic chops in Little Black Book, and her Oscar-worthy turn in The Dead Girl. 2006 nominees should've been Rinko Kikuchi FTW, Amber Tamblyn, Brittany Murphy, Frances McDormand and either Maribel Verdu or Blanca Portillo.
i love these suggestions but if you wanna go as literal as Haynes did with a woman playing Dylan at his most fey, than ya gotta have a man playing Madonna in her aggressive rise to the top early days. <-- lol Michael Douglas
We need to see Matthew Rhys in speedos. Could this be an opportunity?
Encyclopedia Madonnica - Brilliant book. It was heavily referenced in my disertation (yes...it was on Madonna)
Is there a part 2??
The Chloe Sevigny suggestion is majorly great, actually.
Heather Matarazzo during her early uncomfortable years as a misfit who who slowly realises her dream.
An unknown to play her in the heady days of New York City in the late '70s and early '80s. A star is born during the era where a star is born. Possibly a man.
Jennifer Hudson for when she becomes a feisty one-woman-show and the world's biggest superstar. She gets married to Heath Ledger as Sean Penn.
Chloe Sevigny during the "Sex" era. Her final scene is off her stripping herself down and walking into a crowded room full of religious figures and collapsing before returing as...
Gwyneth Paltrow in her mother/Evita period. Martin Henderson plays Guy Ritchie not only because he's from the same area, but because it exemplifies the Madonna > Guy inter-relationship.
Lastly for her return of Dancefloor Madonna and will be Maggie Cheung (we know she can rock out in leather and can sing a song).
Can't really explain WHY but... yeah. There ya go.
Where is Sandra Bernhard? Come on... needs no explanation.
I want to apologize for mention Skank, god forgive, but at least I didn´t mention YOU KNOW WHO, and even singing, forgive me Mr. Nat!
Cate Blanchett could cameo as Sandra Bernhard.
brilliant!
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