Danny Glover Joins the Cast of Dreamgirls Film

By: Oct. 27, 2005
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Danny Glover will join Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx and Anika Noni Rose in the upcoming film version of the musical Dreamgirls.

Glover has been cast as Marty Madison, who is the manager of soul singer James "Thunder" Early (played by Murphy). Early in Dreamgirls, the Supremes-like girl group The Dreams sings back-up for Early before soaring to stardom on its own.

The film, which will begin shooting in January 2006 and will be released in December of that year, will also star Knowles as the glamorous Deena Jones (said to be based on Diana Ross), Tony Award-winner Noni Rose (Caroline, or Change) as the vivacious Lorrell Robinson and Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx as Dreams manager Curtis Taylor Jr. The latter actor has been pushing for "American Idol" star Fantasia Barrino to land the towering central role of Effie, the phenemonally talented vocalist who is considered unmarketable as the lead singer of The Dreams, and who is dropped in favor of Deena. "If Fantasia does the movie it's completely in the stratosphere," he commented to Zap2it.

Glover starred on Broadway in both the original production and the revival of Athol Fugard's Master Harold and the Boys. Best known as a film star, his credits include Saw, The Royal Tenenbaums, Beloved, Antz, The Rainmaker, Angels in the Outfield, and perhaps most famously, the Lethal Weapon films. He also appeared off-Broadway in The Blood Knot.

Dreamgirls, which will be co-produced by DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures, will be directed by Bill Condon, the Academy Award-winner who received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for the film version of Chicago. He will also adapt the screenplay from Tom Eyen's book (Eyen also wrote the lyrics to Henry Kreiger's music).

 Dreamgirls opened at the Imperial Theatre on December 20th, 1981. A smash hit, it ran for 1521 performances and won 8 of it 15 Tony nominations. The show featured a score by Henry Krieger and Tow Ewen, a book by Ewen, scenic design by Robin Wagner, costume design by Theoni V. Aldredge and lighting design by Tharon Musser. Dazzlingly staged by Michael Bennett, the show nonetheless lost the Best Musical Tony to Nine. Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Loretta Devine were the three Dreams, and Cleavant Derricks, Ben Harney and Obba Babatunde were also featured. Dreamgirls was revived in 1987 with Lillias White, Alisa Gyse and Arnetia Walker. Heather Headley, Audra McDonald and White headlined the 2001 Actors' Fund benefit concert.



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