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Recast ROMEO AND JULIET (1996)

With Romeo + Juliet (1996), Baz Luhrmann reminded everyone that underneath the poetry, Shakespeare was as badass as they come.

Recast Romeo + Juliet (1996) or your favorite Shakespeare movie. If you prefer the tragedies,  I recommend seeing Roman Polanski's gritty, hallucinatory Macbeth, or Julie Taymor's Titus. I think my favorite Shakespeare comedy is Love's Labor's Lost, which Kenneth Branagh sets during WWII. Branagh stages it like a Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musical, and replaces the traditional English folk songs with Frank Sinatra tunes. It's awesome.

A t-shirt goes to the best recast, and the winner will be announced on Friday, Nov. 28. And by the way, Baz Luhrmann's Australia comes out on 11/26. Do you guys know anything about it? I mean, besides the fact that Hugh Jackman is frighteningly attractive with his shirt off?

THE MONTAGUES

Leonardo DiCaprio     ...     Romeo

Dash Mihok    ...     Benvolio (Romeo's cousin)

Jamie Kennedy     ...     Sampson (Montague thug)

Zak Orth    ...     Gregory (Montague thug)

Jesse Bradford     ...    Balthasar (Montague thug)

Brian Dennehy    ...     Ted Montague (Romeo's dad)

Christina Pickles    ...     Caroline Montague (Romeo's mom)

THE CAPULETS

Claire Danes    ...     Juliet

John Leguizamo    ...     Tybalt (Juliet's cousin)

Vincent Laresco     ...     Abra (Capulet thug)

Paul Sorvino    ...     Fulgencio (Juliet's dad)

Diane Venora     ...     Gloria (Juliet's mom)

Miriam Margolyes    ...     Juliet's Nurse

CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

Harold Perrineau    ...     Mercutio (Romeo's friend who curses both houses)

Pete Postlethwaite    ...     Father Laurence

Paul Rudd    ...     Dave Paris (Governor's son, trying to marry Juliet)

Vondie Curtis-Hall    ...     Captain Prince (the policeman)

Re:Recast ROMEO AND JULIET (1996)

SkyPilot:

definetley get leanardo decapreo  back as romeo also get kate back as well

With Romeo + Juliet (1996), Baz Luhrmann reminded everyone that underneath the poetry, Shakespeare was as badass as they come.

Recast Romeo + Juliet (1996) or your favorite Shakespeare movie. If you prefer the tragedies,  I recommend seeing Roman Polanski's gritty, hallucinatory Macbeth, or Julie Taymor's Titus. I think my favorite Shakespeare comedy is Love's Labor's Lost, which Kenneth Branagh sets during WWII. Branagh stages it like a Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musical, and replaces the traditional English folk songs with Frank Sinatra tunes. It's awesome.

A t-shirt goes to the best recast, and the winner will be announced on Friday, Nov. 28. And by the way, Baz Luhrmann's Australia comes out on 11/26. Do you guys know anything about it? I mean, besides the fact that Hugh Jackman is frighteningly attractive with his shirt off?

THE MONTAGUES

Leonardo DiCaprio     ...     Romeo

Dash Mihok    ...     Benvolio (Romeo's cousin)

Jamie Kennedy     ...     Sampson (Montague thug)

Zak Orth    ...     Gregory (Montague thug)

Jesse Bradford     ...    Balthasar (Montague thug)

Brian Dennehy    ...     Ted Montague (Romeo's dad)

Christina Pickles    ...     Caroline Montague (Romeo's mom)

THE CAPULETS

Claire Danes    ...     Juliet

John Leguizamo    ...     Tybalt (Juliet's cousin)

Vincent Laresco     ...     Abra (Capulet thug)

Paul Sorvino    ...     Fulgencio (Juliet's dad)

Diane Venora     ...     Gloria (Juliet's mom)

Miriam Margolyes    ...     Juliet's Nurse

CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

Harold Perrineau    ...     Mercutio (Romeo's friend who curses both houses)

Pete Postlethwaite    ...     Father Laurence

Paul Rudd    ...     Dave Paris (Governor's son, trying to marry Juliet)

Vondie Curtis-Hall    ...     Captain Prince (the policeman)

Re:Recast ROMEO AND JULIET (1996)

Directed by Wong Kar Wai and produced by Spike Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule, this rendition of Romeo and Juliet is set in the middle of New York City's Chinatown.  The stately Capulets are a wealthy Chinese-American family that regards themselves as trying to do be upwardly mobile in New York's Chinatown.  The Montagues are another wealthy African-American family that are trying to make inroads into Chinatown.

THE MONTAGUES

Lil Bow Wow  ...     Romeo

T.I.  ...     Benvolio (Romeo's cousin)

Anthony Mackie    ...     Sampson (Montague thug)

Keanan Thompson    ...     Gregory (Montague thug)

Kel Mitchell     ...    Balthasar (Montague thug)

Samuel L. Jackson    ...     Ted Montague (Romeo's dad)

Angela Bassett   ...     Caroline Montague (Romeo's mom)

THE CAPULETS

TV Carpio   ...     Juliet

Rain    ...     Tybalt (Juliet's cousin)

Parry Shen     ...     Abra (Capulet thug)

Chow Yun Fat   ...     Fulgencio (Juliet's dad)

Brigette Lin   ...     Gloria (Juliet's mom)

Michelle Yeoh    ...     Juliet's Nurse

CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

Zack Efron...     Mercutio (Romeo's friend who curses both houses)

Jackie Chan  ...     Father Laurence

Corbin Bleu   ...     Dave Paris (Governor's son, trying to marry Juliet)

Harvey Keitel    ...     Captain Prince (the policeman)

Re:Recast ROMEO AND JULIET (1996)

Juliet Loves Romeo (The late-70s all-star comedy version)

One of my most loved movie gimmicks from the late-70s/early-80s was the all star cast tie-in. Anyone who remembers that era may recall seeing a poster; usually with an overly-busy cartoon drawing and block pictures of various celebrities around the periphery, advertising one of these filmic gems. The celebrities involved ran the gamut from faded stars of yesteryear (Orson Welles, George Burns) to musicians (Elvis Costello, Meat Loaf) to comedians (Steve Martin, Rodney Dangerfield) to sports stars (Tommy LaSorda). There was also a whole lot of Tony Randall. Granted, most of these celebrities usually appeared on-screen for no more than 2-minutes, but spotting them was supposed to be “part of the fun.”. It was also intended to distract you from the usually moribund task of actually sitting through the movie.

So, let’s rewind about 17 years, send Baz Luhrman and his transluscent butterfly wings packing, throw Neal Israel behind the camera, and recast this b*tch like it’s 1979.

(Note: for further reference, see films such as “Americathon”, “The Muppet Movie”,”Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band”, “Scavenger Hunt”, or anything with "Smokey" or "Cannonball" in the title.)

THE MONTAGUES

Willie Aames     ...     Romeo
Between rehab stints

Jackie Earle Haley    ...     Benvolio (Romeo's cousin)
Long before the days when he was “just trying to cool off”

Leif Garrett...     Sampson (Montague thug)
Between rehab stints

Andy Gibb    ...     Gregory (Montague thug)
Between rehab stints

Peter Frampton     ...    Balthasar (Montague thug)

Tony Randall...     Ted Montague (Romeo's dad)

Cloris Leachman    ...     Caroline Montague (Romeo's mom)

THE CAPULETS

Tatum O’Neil    ...     Juliet
Between rehab stints

Joe Strummer    ...     Tybalt (Juliet's cousin)

Franco Harris...     Abra (Capulet thug)

Billy Martin    ...     Fulgencio (Juliet's dad)
Between Yankee Manager stints

Madeline Kahn     ...     Gloria (Juliet's mom)

Shelly Winters    ...     Juliet's Nurse

CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

Dom DeLuise    ...     Mercutio (Romeo's friend who curses both houses)
zany catch phrase:
Give me a case to put my visage in: a visor for a visor! what care I? What curious eye doth quote deformities?...now, go get the honey, junior!

Richard Mulligan    ...     Father Laurence

John Ritter    ...     Dave Paris (Governor's son, trying to marry Juliet)

Bubba Smith    ...     Captain Prince (the policeman)

We also need a place for Jamie Farr, but, alas, I've run out of cast!

Re:Recast ROMEO AND JULIET (1996)

Winner -- gsanchet

gsanchet:

Directed by Wong Kar Wai and produced by Spike Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule, this rendition of Romeo and Juliet is set in the middle of New York City's Chinatown.  The stately Capulets are a wealthy Chinese-American family that regards themselves as trying to do be upwardly mobile in New York's Chinatown.  The Montagues are another wealthy African-American family that are trying to make inroads into Chinatown.

This would be far out. In Wong Kar Wai's hands, Chinatown would be one part pretty and one part gritty, exotic and familiar at the same time.    

gsanchet made a lot of good casting choices, too. I especially like Chow Yun Fat as Juliet's dad. He's one of the only guys tough enough to match Sam Jackson, Romeo's dad.

I also get a kick out of imagining Jackie Chan as Father Lawrence.

Although I have to disagree with you on Mercutio -- Zack Efron? Really? Did you only pick him so you could watch him get shot? 

And Harvey Keitel would be good as Captain Prince, but how about Kurt Russell? (Did you ever see Big Trouble in Little China?)

Re:Recast ROMEO AND JULIET (1996)

>>> This would be far out. In Wong Kar Wai's hands, Chinatown would be one part pretty and one part gritty, exotic and familiar at the same time.    <<<

Wong Kar Wai is one of my favorate directors.  Chungking Express is such a beautiful movie and I'd love to see what he would do with Chinatown.

>>> gsanchet made a lot of good casting choices, too. I especially like Chow Yun Fat as Juliet's dad. He's one of the only guys tough enough to match Sam Jackson, Romeo's dad. <<<

He was really good as a "crazy father" in Curse of the Golden Flower.  I keep on thinking of the scene where Juliet's father goes crazy on her and I kept on thinking that Chow Yun Fat would do an amazing job with that sensibility.  And Bridget Lin's look in Chunking Express would also fit the bill as a strange and abused woman with secrets that we never get to see on film.

>>> I also get a kick out of imagining Jackie Chan as Father Lawrence. <<<

I loved that picture I found of him, because it fit him well.  Father Lawrence is always this guy who is kind of a flaky-hippie character and I thought Chan would do a great performance, played without martial arts, of this guy who would wear hawaiian shirts and have potions that momentarily put you to sleep.

>> Although I have to disagree with you on Mercutio -- Zack Efron? Really? Did you only pick him so you could watch him get shot?  <<<

I was going with a mix of former teen actors and new teen stars.  If you notice, the two thug characters in Romeo's side are Kenan and Kel from Good Burger.  I went with John Cho (I don't know why it says Parry Shen) from the American Pie and Harold and Kumar Movies.  And I tried to go with almost new teen actors to fit the roles of Juliet, Romeo, and their peer group.  T.I. is a famous rap star.  Rain is a famous R&B asian star.  And Zack Ephron/Corbin Bleu round out the cast as teen actors that could still be convincing as Romeo and Juliet's contempoaries without seeming too old.

But yeah, I kinda wanted Zack Efron to give the Queen Mab speech, dress up like a woman, and get shot.

>>> And Harvey Keitel would be good as Captain Prince, but how about Kurt Russell? (Did you ever see Big Trouble in Little China?) <<<

Kurt Russell would be perfect.  I went with Keitel because I liked his look in Life on Mars, but I think Russell would be perfect too.

Thanks for the kind words.  I knew I'd win one of these someday if I just kept posting enough.

- G

Re:Recast ROMEO AND JULIET (1996)

gsanchet:

Wong Kar Wai is one of my favorate directors.  Chungking Express is such a beautiful movie and I'd love to see what he would do with Chinatown.

...

I was going with a mix of former teen actors and new teen stars.  If you notice, the two thug characters in Romeo's side are Kenan and Kel from Good Burger.  I went with John Cho (I don't know why it says Parry Shen) from the American Pie and Harold and Kumar Movies.  And I tried to go with almost new teen actors to fit the roles of Juliet, Romeo, and their peer group.  T.I. is a famous rap star.  Rain is a famous R&B asian star.  And Zack Ephron/Corbin Bleu round out the cast as teen actors that could still be convincing as Romeo and Juliet's contempoaries without seeming too old.

Yeah, your post made me think of Chungking Express!

And I didn't notice the level of care you put into the teen duos. I'm especially  impressed by the Good Burger reference.

Also, regarding John Cho as "Parry Shen" -- I remember reading through your post and I thought, "I didn't know that guy's name is Parry Shen," and I believed it.

Re:Recast ROMEO AND JULIET (1996)

An inspired choice.

Well done.

gsanchet:

Directed by Wong Kar Wai and produced by Spike Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule, this rendition of Romeo and Juliet is set in the middle of New York City's Chinatown.  The stately Capulets are a wealthy Chinese-American family that regards themselves as trying to do be upwardly mobile in New York's Chinatown.  The Montagues are another wealthy African-American family that are trying to make inroads into Chinatown.

THE MONTAGUES

Lil Bow Wow  ...     Romeo

T.I.  ...     Benvolio (Romeo's cousin)

Anthony Mackie    ...     Sampson (Montague thug)

Keanan Thompson    ...     Gregory (Montague thug)

Kel Mitchell     ...    Balthasar (Montague thug)

Samuel L. Jackson    ...     Ted Montague (Romeo's dad)

Angela Bassett   ...     Caroline Montague (Romeo's mom)

THE CAPULETS

TV Carpio   ...     Juliet

Rain    ...     Tybalt (Juliet's cousin)

Parry Shen     ...     Abra (Capulet thug)

Chow Yun Fat   ...     Fulgencio (Juliet's dad)

Brigette Lin   ...     Gloria (Juliet's mom)

Michelle Yeoh    ...     Juliet's Nurse

CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

Zack Efron...     Mercutio (Romeo's friend who curses both houses)

Jackie Chan  ...     Father Laurence

Corbin Bleu   ...     Dave Paris (Governor's son, trying to marry Juliet)

Harvey Keitel    ...     Captain Prince (the policeman)

Re:Recast ROMEO AND JULIET (1996)

I just saw Australia on Friday. 

Pros:

Awesome cinematography - looks like a similar filter used in Peter Jackson's King Kong)

Overarching storyline was great

Real Aboriginal people cast as the Australian natives.

Cons:

DIdn't quite buy Hugh Jackman, pretty as he may be, as an old school cattle driver type. There was something too perfact about him- Viggo Mortensen would've been a more logicial choice- i could imagine him alseep under the stars.  Also, the scene with him bathing outside is completely gratuitous and solely a beefcake shot( was that water in that bucket or baby oil anyway?)

Didn't buy the romantic relationship between Jackman and Kidman- something was off

If someone says " Crikie "( sp?) one more time...

Dialog was bit cheesy ( like the above term  used repeatedly)

This film definitely gets better the more your think about it after you've left the theatre and you'll probably benefit from seeing the large screen format( lots of sweeping shots) rather than watching it on DVD

Was it worth it? I thought so

Would I see it  a 2nd time? No

Would I buy it on DVD for my collection? If I could get it on sale

What did other folks think about it?

SkyPilot:

And by the way, Baz Luhrmann's Australia comes out on 11/26. Do you guys know anything about it? I mean, besides the fact that Hugh Jackman is frighteningly attractive with his shirt off?