Whom Would You Cast In August: Osage County Film?
Production is still close to nine months away on the upcoming silver screen incarnation of Tracy Letts' August: Osage County.
But that hasn't stopped Entertainment Weekly from already placing the "Best Film Ever" label on the flick. That's because word has leaked that Meryl Streep is in negotiations to play Violet Weston, while Julie Roberts is in talks to portray Violet's daughter Barbara.
It's already been over two years since Variety first confirmed that Letts was revisiting his work by writing the screenplay. Fantasy casting for the big screen version of the work began more than a half year earlier.
The Chicago Tribune's very own theatre critic Chris Jones wins the early prize, having distinguished himself two and a half years ago for presciently saying on January 28, 2008, that his dream casting would include Meryl Streep as Violet and Julia Roberts as Barbara!
Since he was so spot on with those choices, take a look at the rest of his picks.
As for me, if Deanna Dunagan and Amy Morton aren't going to be cast, I can think of no other actress more capable of delivering Violet than Meryl Streep, who is perhaps the greatest living actress on the planet. Julia Roberts may be the world's biggest movie star, but I'm not entirely convinced she has the chops to take on Barbara. If she is cast, I hope to be proven wrong.
Additionally, I'm still holding out hope that the film version, to be directed by John Wells, will include at least a couple of the original cast members from Steppenwolf. My top choice? Rondi Reed to recreate her Tony-winning turn as Aunt Mattie Fae Aiken.
It's your turn to weigh in on whom you'd cast. Whom do you believe should round out this dysfunctional family in a movie theater near you? (My friend Kevin Daly of Theatre Aficionado At Large has already weighed in here.)
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Labels: Amy Morton, August Osage County, Casting, Chris Jones, Deanna Dunagan, Fantasy Casting, Film, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Rondi Reed, Steppenwolf, Tracy Letts
posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Friday, October 01, 2010
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