Another go for 'Les Miz'

I first saw the musical version of Les Miserables on Broadway 25 years ago now and I have attempted to see it somewhere, someplace at least once a year since. I never tire of it. I want it made into a film, but I want it done correctly. Many years ago I heard director Alan Parker was assigned to bring it to the screen and that got me excited. Parker, after all, was the director of Fame, The Commitments and Pink Floyd: The Wall, which I thought was the perfect pedigree for a director of Les Miz. He also directed such other films as Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, Shoot the Moon, Birdy, Angel Heart and Mississippi Burning. For those he earned a mulligan for the wretched The Life of David Gale. That mistake was made eight years ago and perhaps Parker hasn't forgiven himself because he hasn't directed another film since.

Now the word is out that Les Miserables is being readied by Universal, which is talking to Tom Hooper about directing it. OK, he just did win the Oscar for The King's Speech which certainly gives him some cred. I also loved his work on the much-underrated The Damned United. So right now I'm fine with Hooper and, being 28-years Parker's junior, he just may have more energy for what promises to be a demanding shoot. I just hope he doesn't cast "names" in the leads. If ever a film called out for unknown talents, it's the musical version of Les Miserables. Good news is Cameron Mackintosh, the musical's original producer, is closely involved in the project. The bad news is that William Nicholson, who wrote that hackneyed script for Gladiator, has been hired to write a script for Les Miz. Problem is Les Miz is an opera -- it doesn't need a script. A script, in fact, could doom this production.

I'm in a wait-and-see mode for now.