Musical theater fans have been a little nervous about the upcoming film version Into the Woods. Concerns on how faithful the Disney production can be to the dark and risky source material, mainly (Star Trek) Chris Pines Prince’s cheating on Cinderella and Johnny Depp’s Big Bad Wolf..penis. It didn’t help anything when Stephen Sondheim made a statement about changes to the film, that were reportedly misrepresented.Now the first trailer for the film has been released. Check out the trailer below to see if it eases some of your fears:
The new film has some die-hard fans of the classic musical worried. Earlier in the year, The New Yorker reported on a Master Class conversation between Stephen Sondheim and teachers, where they discussed some of the changes in the film. The controversy began after a teacher spoke out against the adult relationship between the Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood. Sondheim agreed that the he and Disney had similar concerns adding:
"Well, you'll be happy to know that Disney had the same objections. You will find in the movie that Rapunzel does not get killed, and the prince does not sleep with the [Baker's Wife]. You know, if I were a Disney executive I probably would say the same thing."
Another point of controversy was when he implied that the Prince’s affair, “Any Moment,” had been cut from the movie:
Without question this upset some fans of the beloved musical. Sondheim latter addressed the clarify some the comments, releasing a statement:
“An article in The New Yorker misreporting my ‘Master Class’ conversation about censorship in our schools with seventeen teachers from the Academy for Teachers a couple of weeks ago has created some false impressions about my collaboration with the Disney Studio on the film version of ‘Into the Woods.’ The fact is that James (Lapine, who wrote both the show and the movie) and I worked out every change from stage to screen with the producers and with Rob Marshall, the director. Despite what the New Yorker article may convey, the collaboration was genuinely collaborative and always productive.
“When the conversation with the teachers occurred, I had not yet seen a full rough cut of the movie. Coincidentally, I saw it immediately after leaving the meeting and, having now seen it a couple of times, I can happily report that it is not only a faithful adaptation of the show, it is a first-rate movie.
“And for those who care, as the teachers did, the Prince's dalliance is still in the movie, and so is ‘Any Moment.’”
What do you think of the new trailer? Are you nervous about the movie? Let us know your wish for the film in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
