Lately, Facebook and Twitter feeds have been all aflutter with news of the long-awaited film version of the Stephen Sondheim/James Lapine classic, Into the Woods. Although a DVD of the original Broadway production has been available for years, the new film adaptation of Into the Woods holds the promise of both old favorites and new surprises, not to mention the presence of some high-caliber names from both Broadway and Hollywood A lists.


 (Watch the trailer here.)

It's taken nearly thirty years to bring Into the Woods to the screen, not that there haven't been efforts during that time. In fact, there have been at least three separate attempts to turn the show into a movie, including one version that was meant to have starred Cher as the witch, Robin Williams as the baker, Goldie Hawn as the baker's wife, Steve Martin as the wolf, and Danny Devito as the giant. (The mind reels: that movie would either have been horrible or a masterpiece. It's hard to imagine anything in between.) 

Plot changes - While the essential story line remains the same, the plot will undergo some minor changes, according to reports by Stephen Sondheim himself. Apparently Disney was uncomfortable with a few elements in the original show, and requested (demanded?) changes. For instance, Rapunzel doesn't die in this version, although she apparently meets with a fate that isn't much more pleasant. Also, in deference to Disney's family audience, the baker's wife and Cinderella's prince no longer do the nasty, although said act was only implied in the original show to begin with.

(I mean, can you imagine? "Yeah, give it to me, Princey boy...")   

Old songs - Fans will no doubt be relieved that, unlike with the movie version of Sweeney Todd, much of the Into the Woods score remains intact for the film, albeit in revised form: "Children Will Listen," "Giants in the Sky," "On the Steps of the Palace," "No One Is Alone" and "Agony" are all in the movie, at least based on the track listing of the soon-to-be-released soundtrack. (Click through here for a chill-inducing preview of Meryl Streep performing "Stay With Me.") A rumor was flying around months back that the song "Any Moment," a fan favorite featuring the baker's wife and Cinderella's prince, was going to be cut, and this from the mouth of no less than Stephen Sondheim himself. But the song is apparently in, at least as of this writing. 

Missing songs - Scanning the track listing of the soundtrack also reveals that some songs appear to have been cut, including "Maybe They're Magic," "Ever After," the "Agony" reprise, and "No More." Perhaps unsurprisingly, "Our Little World," which was written for the London premier subsequent to the original Broadway production, doesn't appear in the film.  

New songs? - Many months back, we heard about a new song that Stephen Sondheim was writing for Meryl Streep. It's actually quite common for movie musicals to feature new songs, mostly in the hope of snagging an Academy Award for Best Song. (Songs written for previous iterations are not eligible.) The song in question is called "She'll Be Back," which was apparently written for the witch to sing to address the changed Rapunzel story line. The song was filmed, but was later cut, although it will reportedly appear on the DVD when it comes out. A song called "Rainbows," written for one of the earlier planned film versions, was at no point considered for the current film. 

Hollywood ringers - In addition to Meryl Streep, the film boasts a cast that includes Hollywood A-listers Chris Pine and Johnny Depp, film up-and-comers Anna Kendrick and Emily Blunt, as well as the the stalwart Tracey Ullman. Kendrick and Blunt have plenty of stage cred behind them, as of course does Streep. Depp certainly proved himself musical-worthy in Sweeney Todd. Chris Pine is a bit of a wildcard here, but, hey, with that face and those eyes, it really doesn't matter. (Amiright, ladies?) 

Broadway performers - Alongside the Hollywood notables will be some of the best and brightest of Broadway, including Tony winners James Cordon and Christine Baranski, Tony nominees Billy Magnussen and Tammy Blanchard, and Broadway's most recent Annie, Lilla Crawford. The mere presence of the wondrous Cordon and the delicious Baranski makes the film a must-see, although it's been a while since Baranski trod the boards. Cordon was supposed to head up a revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, but that production was put on hold when Cordon booked the gig of replacing Craig Ferguson on The Late Late Show.   

Rob Marshall - The most important variable to watch out for regarding the film version of Into the Woods is director Rob Marshall. Marshall had some modest successes as a choreographer on Broadway in the 1990s, as well as co-director credit for the smash revival of Cabaret. But he's sort of abandoned his stage roots for the bright lights of Hollywood, and the results so far have been decidedly hit (the award-winning film of Chicago) or miss (the deeply depressing film of Nine). Will Into the Woods invigorate the movie musical genre, as Chicago did, or will it join the disappointing ranks of the dismal Nine? You know I'll be there to find out.