Sean Penn, Robert Downey Jr. Being Considered for LES MIS Film

With a show as well-known worldwide as LES MISÉRABLES, casting is of the utmost importance. Though West End star Alfie Boe is Cameron Mackintosh's reported first choice to play the iconic role of Jean Valjean in the long-anticipated film version of LES MIS, there are other roles that need casting, and they'll most likely be filled with stars reports the Daily Mail.

Two of the big names being reviewed are Sean Penn and Robert Downey Jr., both film stars who have multiple Academy Award nominations to their names. Though nothing is being ruled out - casting is far from certain even as Boe is concerned - "What do we know about the vocal range of someone like Robert Downey Jr?" An executive working on the film asked of The Daily Mail's Baz Bamibgoye. "We know he can sing, but what's his voice like? Is he a tenor or a baritone? Same with Kevin Spacey, Sean Penn, Michael Sheen, Benedict Cumberbatch and Keanu Reeves."

LES MISÉRABLES originally opened in London at the Barbican Theatre on 8 October 1985, transferred to the Palace Theatre on 4 December 1985 and moved to its current home at theQueen's Theatre on 3 April 2004. When LES MISÉRABLES celebrated its 21st London birthday on 8 October 2006, it became the World's Longest Running Musical, surpassing the record previously held by "Cats" in London's West End. In January 2010, the West End production broke another record by celebrating its historic 10,000th performances.

Seen by nearly 60 million people worldwide in 42 countries and in 21 languages, LES MISÉRABLES is undisputedly one of the world's most popular musicals ever written, with new productions continually opening around the globe, with seven more currently scheduled. There have been 36 cast recordings of LES MISÉRABLES, including the multi-platinum London cast recording, the Grammy Award-winning Broadway cast and complete symphonic albums and the soon to be released live recording of the New 25th Anniversary Production. The video of the 10th Anniversary Royal Albert Hall Gala Concert has sold millions of copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling musical videos ever in the UK. There are over 2,500 productions of the Les Misérables School's Edition scheduled or being performed by over 125,000 school children in the UK, US and Australia, making it the most successful musical ever produced in schools. Cameron Mackintosh is currently developing a film of LES MISÉRABLES with Working Title and Universal.

Read the full Daily Mail article here, and keep with the latest LES MIS news by clicking here!