Rent Film Hopes to Cast Diggs, Martin, Pascal, Rapp and Menzel
By Andrew Gans
and Kenneth Jones
26 Oct 2004
 |
 |
Adam Pascal (left) and Anthony Rapp in the original cast of Rent
|
Several of the original stars of Broadway's Rent are being courted to star in the upcoming film version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical.
Variety reports that Revolution Studios, the film's financiers, would like Taye Diggs, Jesse Martin, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp and Idina Menzel to reprise their roles on screen. In the original Broadway cast, Diggs played Benjamin Coffin III, Martin was Tom Collins, Pascal portrayed Roger Davis, Rapp was Mark Cohen and Menzel played Maureen Johnson. The industry papers says the studio is willing to work around the actors' schedules, which might make the target release date — holiday 2005 — a bit more difficult.
There has been no official announcement about who the producers would like to portray Mimi Marquez, Joanne Jefferson or Angel Schunard. Those roles were created on Broadway by Daphne Rubin-Vega, Fredi Walker and Wilson Jermain Heredia, respectively. The latter won a Tony for his work as the ill-fated drag queen.
Chris Columbus, who has co-written a script for the film with Stephen Chbosky, will direct.
Rentupdates Puccini's La Boheme to the East Village of the late 1990's, with artists and lovers struggling to connect in a world that is chaotic, shallow and tinged with disease. The late Jonathan Larson wrote Rent's book, music and lyrics. The 1996 Tony and Pulitzer Prize- winning musical continues at the Nederlander Theatre in New York City.
