Giles

I recently had the chance to see the touring Production of the musical the other night and I had read in the Playbill that the film had been shot in January and is scheduled for release next year.

"In 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small town girl met a big city rocker and in LA’s most famous rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the 80s. It’s ROCK OF AGES, an arena-rock love story told through the mind-blowing, face-melting hits of JOURNEY, NIGHT RANGER, STYX, REO SPEEDWAGON, PAT BENATAR, TWISTED SISTER, POISON, ASIA, WHITESNAKE and many more. Don’t miss this awesomely good time about dreaming big, playing loud and partying on!"

Rock of Ages

The casting alone is bizarre, with Tom Cruise, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin, Mary J. Blige, Paul Giamatti, Bryan Cranston, and Catherine Zeta-Jones and I'm curious if the film can replicate the giddy over the top nature of the musical theatrical version. It's also going to interesting if the role of Lonny (Brand) will break the fourth wall (which he does alot) not only is a character integral to the story, but he narrates it to the audience. IMDB also doesn't give any info if the character of Franz is retained for the movie version - in the theater version he's a scream and absolutely hysterical. If he's not in the film version, then the song: 'Hit Me with Your Best Shot' wont be included, unless the screenwriters retool the story.

JumpCutz

Tom Cruise looks absolutely ridiculous in this. Another nail in his career coffin.

Here's an interesting link to the Spielberg /Cruise spat and the resulting fallout. Anybody doubting this guy is a demented creep should get ready for a reality check.

http://suppressiveperson.org/spdl/in...=458&Itemid=68

Giles

Tom Cruise is the absolute last actor I would EVER think to cast as Stacee Jaxx - it would have made more sense for Russell Brand to play Stacee not Lonny.

mdc3000

In his defense, Kate Capshaw is a total bitch

fumanstan

Thankfully, I don't give a shit if he's a demented creep

Hokeyboy

I love the show, as a real goofy but fun pleasure.

I have pictures from the outdoor set in downtown Miami, as well as the "Hollywood" sign that has been built atop of our largest "mountain", aka a nasty-ass landfill. I should post them up soon. They recreated 1987 Sunset Strip right in Miami's worst ghetto. Nice.

Some friends of mine are featured extras in the production. One of them accidentally broke Debbie Gibson's iPhone. Oops!

Hokeyboy

And seriously, can we keep the Scientology debate elsewhere? Enough already.

islandclaws

Is this a link to some anti-Scientology spank material or what? How the hell would anyone know intimate details like that? I seriously doubt Spielberg would have ever confirmed any of this.

Giles

my big worry is the number of actors attached to this who we have never heard sung before, could essentially become another 'Mamma Mia!' - (yes, we all know Pierce Brosnan made everyone wince)

wm lopez

Tom can't play a 80's guy?
He was the 80's!!

Draven

Casting sounds GREAT. I'm a big fan of the show (saw it on Broadway and when it came through town here) and Cruise is a perfect choice for Jaxx. I like Cruise a lot anyway, but Stacee Jaxx is supposed to be a washed-up douchebag, so all of you Cruise haters should be all over this.

And Brand as Lonny is great too, as that character is total comic relief and, having just watched Get Him to the Greek again the other day, he's a damn funny guy. Especially with asides and throwaway lines, which Lonny has a ton of.

I think the music aspect will be fine and I'm really looking forward to seeing how this all comes together.

Dragon Tattoo

You'd have to be pretty "naive" to believe any of that.

FYI, "naive" is taking the place of a far ruder word there.

tylergfoster

I have no reason not to believe the story presented in that link. I remember hearing reports from journalists with no vested interest (because Cruise hadn't gone nuts on TV yet) that he actually had a special Scientology tent on the set of War of the Worlds to try and lure new converts. It also feels accurate to that 25-page Paul Haggis New Yorker expose on Scientology.

Hokeyboy

Start a fucking anti-Scientology thread already...

Geofferson

Trailer:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5T6YAKAdPKQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Solid Snake

again...I'm without sound here where i am but....looks like something I could see..visually speaking I could have fun w/ this.

OldBoy

i'm so fucking in!

fumanstan

Trailer didn't do much for me, but I've never heard of the musical either and never been into 80's music.

Draven

Yes. A 1000x yes. I love the show and this looks like it captured it perfectly. It's a dumb funny jukebox musical. And this looks like a dumb funny movie version of that musical. The cast is outstanding too - perfect roles for the parts.

Though Catherine Zeta-Jones' role is played by a man in the stage version. Doesn't matter much, but it's interesting. Might have thought it was too dude-centric (which it is).

Anyway, the music is a blast, the show is both fun and funny and I'm looking forward to this.

EdTheRipper

Ive got the original Broadway cast recording and love it. I'm definitely in for this one.

Dr Mabuse

Let's discuss Scientology some more.

Hokeyboy

Hokeyboy

The movie looks like fun But I'm always a sucker for big lavish musicals; the pole goes right in the smoker, I'm afraid...

bunkaroo

Just watched the trailer. Ewwwww.

Giles

oh so a Def Leopard song IS in the movie but not in the stage version ????

and no Franz ?!? so who's going to sing the song:

[EDIT: Franz in the film version is "Patricia Whitmore" (Catherine Zeta-Jones)]