Still Waiting for That Close-Up

This week's column takes a look at the latest projects to travel From Screen to Stage and back again.

- A movie version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard musical was promised to us some time back, and now the project has resurfaced. Names attached to play Norma Desmond are the usual suspects: Glenn Close, Meryl Streep and Barbra Streisand (thankfully, Liza appears to be out of the running). Close, who won the Tony for her performance in the role on Broadway, has her hopes up that it will eventually be made ... with her in the lead.

- The Seattle pre-Broadway run of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein has opened. Playbill.com has interviews with co-star Sutton Foster and co-librettist Thomas Meehan.

- Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! – The Musical will return to the New York stage just in time for (naturally) the holiday season.

- Mary Poppins herself, Ashley Brown, answers all your questions at Broadway.com.

- Good news for all you fans of "children's theater for 40-year-old gay men": Xanadu will tour, and may even head to London.

- In related news, The Wedding Singer is gearing up for their own tour, while Christian Slater prepares for the West End debut of Swimming With Sharks.

- Chazz Palminteri is readying his one-man show A Bronx Tale (which he directed and starred in as a film) for a limited Broadway run.

- Can you believe it? Soon there will be two musicals on the Great White Way based on John Waters movies: Hairspray and the upcoming Cry-Baby.

- Former Hairsprayer Harvey Fierstein will star in A Catered Affair, based on the Paddy Chayevsky teleplay that was turned into a movie starring Bette Davis (though not in the same role as Harvey).

- And rounding up the Hairspray-related news, that movie's producers, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, are returning to television with a new version of Peter Pan. And yes, the little boy who never grew up will again be played by a woman (no, not Harvey ... although he would make a great Captain Hook).

- In the works, as in workshops: musicals based on To Die For, Shrek and Saved!

- If your the kind to get your kicks from those old "women in prison" B-movies, then Slammer! is the musical for you.

- And finally: Grease is not only the word in New York, but also in London. If all that T-bird/Pink Lady action is too much for you though, then maybe what you need is a little Lube.

Links via Playbill.com, MoviesBlog.MTV.com, Broadway.com, Advocate.com and QueerSighted.com.

Indy 500

The latest news from the "Sequels and Remakes We Don't Want" file:

- Shia LaBeouf may or may not continue the Indiana Jones saga (what, into triple digits?), and Harrison Ford may or may not continue to star. And Indy 4 may or may not be called Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods (and I don't think they mean this City of God).

- Dark City director Alex Proyas is developing a prequel of sorts to the Dracula story. At first glance it may seem "gee, do we really need another Dracula movie?" However, the film, titled Dracula: Year Zero, will delve into the character's life as Vlad the Impaler, somewhat untrod territory on film.

- In other classic horror character revamps: Something that could either be very cool or ... not is the planned remake of The Creature from the Black Lagoon. A childhood favorite of mine, they have big web-footed shoes to fill on this one.

- As if they hadn't learned before, Ace Ventura will continue as a "Jim Carrey movie without Jim Carrey." Nancy Drew's Josh Flitter will play Ace's son this go round.

- Following this year's Shrek the Third, DreamWorks has promised a fourth and fifth Shrek and, per Jeffrey Katzenberg, "that will be it." We'll hold you to that one, Jeff.

- Halle Berry may fill Jane Fonda's plastic bustier in the long-threatened Barbarella remake. I smell another Razzie, Berry.

- What may prove to be a blessing to us all, Terminator 4 is tied up in a big ol' legal mess.

- The "truth", as it were, may still be out there for Mulder, Scully and an X-Files sequel.

- Steve Buscemi gives us his ideas for a Big Lebowski 2. (Don't count on it, dude.)

- And finally, the "Who Wants This?" award goes to the proposed remake of Troll. Yikes.

Links via IESB.net, Imdb.com, Variety.com, The-ReelGillman.com, LaughingPlace.com, ContactMusic.com, AfterEllen.com, DarkHorizons.com, HollywoodReporter.com, MoviesBlog.MTV.com and FilmWad.com.