According to the Hollywood Reporter, Gyllenhaal ("Brokeback Mountain," "Source Code") and Pine ("Star Trek," "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement") — best known for their film work — sang for Academy Award-winning "Chicago" director Rob Marshall and are expected to receive offers to join the cast, led by Oscar winner Meryl Streep.
As previously reported, Marc Platt, Marshall, John DeLuca and Disney are producing the film adaptation that is expected to begin filming in London this September. Marshall confirmed to Playbill.com's Seth Rudetksy that Academy Award winner Streep will star as the Witch in the film adaptation. Read the original report in Rudetsky's April 15 Onstage and Backstage column here.
It has also been reported that "Sweeney Todd" star Johnny Depp will portray the Wolf. The creative team is currently seeking actors for the roles of Jack and Little Red.
Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning Into the Woods book writer Lapine authored the screenplay based on his own book for the 1988 musical. During an October reading of the screenplay, Lapine had streamlined the musical into a two-hour treatment for the screen. Composer-arranger David Krane (Road to Qatar), who penned the arrangements for Marshall's film adaptations of Chicago and Nine, is working on arrangements for the Into the Woods film adaptation. DeLuca also produced Marshall's screen adaptations of "Nine" and "Chicago."
Into the Woods features a Tony-winning score by Sondheim and Tony-winning book by Lapine, who also staged both Broadway productions of the musical. Into the Woods premiered on Broadway in 1987 at the Martin Beck Theatre starring Bernadette Peters, Chip Zien, Joanna Gleason, Kim Crosby and Robert Westenberg. The original cast performance was preserved by PBS' American Playhouse in 1991. A 2002 Broadway revival played the Broadhurst Theatre.
