If we ever get a live-action The Last Unicorn...

[pennydreadful]

So for those of you who care about such things, the rights for any potential live-action adaptation of The Last Unicorn will revert to Peter S Beagle in 2015.

Given the advances in CG (thus giving filmmakers the ability to do the unicorn properly), the fact that Hollywood is out of ideas and will therefore greenlight almost any potential moneymaker (don't give me that look, you know I'm right), and the fact that the animated film is currently undergoing a screening tour... odds are (I feel) fairly good that this will in fact end up happening in our lifetimes.

With that in mind - I thought I'd start a thread where we can discuss who our ideal casting choices would be. Who do you think would make the best Lady Amalthea, Schmendrick, Molly Grue? Who would you get to do the voice of the butterfly and the harpy? What about Mommy Fortuna? If Christopher Lee dies before they ever do this project, who do you think could possibly do justice to the role of King Haggard? Do you think Celaeno would work better in the movie with the bird-like head she had in the animated film, or would you like to see her done with a human head?

Would you want them to keep the songs from the animated movie, or see an entirely new soundtrack done? If so, which bands/composers do you think would do it justice?

And which lines/scenes would you absolutely have to have in there (we're talking dealbreaker material here, folks). Is there anything from the novel that didn't make it into the animated movie which you'd like to see in a live-action film?

Feel free to post any pictures or videos to support your choices.

[Raph's Girl]

A live action Last Unicorn movie has been in the works on and off for about 10 years. But due to all sorts of scheduling conflicts and such it has yet to get off the ground.

Here's the official site for it:
http://www.the-last-unicorn.net/movie.htm

[Leo656]

I doubt anyone in Hollywood is pure enough to even be able to see a unicorn, let alone encounter one and get it to hold still along enough to be filmed. They're gonna pull some CGI fake-unicorn BS.

I'll still see it, though, if only to raise unicorn awareness.

[Raph's Girl]

Originally Posted by Leo656

I doubt anyone in Hollywood is pure enough to even be able to see a unicorn, let alone encounter one and get it to hold still along enough to be filmed.

Voldemort killed one in the first Harry Potter movie. Plus, there's 2 of them in "Legend"

[Netkeeper]

I want to say a live action Last Unicorn would be breathtaking, but I'm a little afraid they'd grittify it up and I don't want that.

[pennydreadful]

Originally Posted by Raph's Girl

A live action Last Unicorn movie has been in the works on and off for about 10 years. But due to all sorts of scheduling conflicts and such it has yet to get off the ground.

Here's the official site for it:
http://www.the-last-unicorn.net/movie.htm

Those guys have been screwing around with it for years - they'll lose the rights next year.

I pulled some info from Peter S Beagle's Tumblr, which lays out a little more detail on the whole live-action affair:


Here are THE FACTS, straight from Peter S. Beagle, Peter S. Beagle’s business manager, and ITV (owner of the film itself).

* A small company called Continent Films currently controls the live-action remake rights to THE LAST UNICORN. Continent first optioned those rights in 1999, and their deal expires in February 2015.

* Peter S. Beagle emphatically does NOT support Continent’s efforts. Back in 2005 he asked them to drop the project and let someone else take it on, but they refused to do so. Peter made this request for three reasons: 1) He learned that Continent was misrepresenting the status of their project, publicly claiming many things on their website that simply were not true. 2) Continent told him that doing a full-CGI unicorn was too expensive, so they had decided to film a real horse with a horn instead and then use CGI to modify the result. 3) One of Continent’s owners rewrote Peter’s script without his permission or participation, and he hated what the guy did to the characters and the story.

* Since 2005 Continent has made no progress on this project. They have no production financing, there has been no real development, no contracts have been signed with any actors (or a real screenwriter or a director), and there is no reason to believe any of that is going to change between now and February 2015, when the live-action rights revert to Peter and the film’s current owner, ITV (one of the largest entertainment conglomerates in Europe). Once that reversion happens a new deal with some film company that can actually get a movie made will be possible. Until then, no LAST UNICORN fan should hold his or her breath.


Did the movie start filming in XXXX (I got a few versions of this questions with different filming dates):

No. As mentioned, Continent’s LAST UNICORN website claimed for years that shooting was just about to start, but this was never true.

Was Jonathan Rhys Meyers ever cast as Schmendrick?

No. He was not. He did have one meeting with Continent to discuss the idea, at Christopher Lee’s suggestion, but that’s all — no offer was ever made and he never signed on. At this time NO actors have EVER been signed on.

Were Christopher Lee and Angela Lansbury signed on as cast?:

No. They did not. Continent did talk to Christopher Lee about playing King Haggard, and he responded by saying that if Continent could negotiate an acceptable deal with his agent, he’d be happy to do the part again. But he never made any promise or commitment, and no contract has ever been offered or signed. As for all the other names listed for so long on Continent’s website – among them Angela Lansbury, Rene Auberjenois, and Mia Farrow – Continent never even contacted any of them or their representatives. It simply listed their names, without permission, in order to excite LAST UNICORN fans and potential funding sources. One by one, as these actors found out what was happening and complained, Continent was forced to take their names off the webpage. Now the only name Continent still mentions is Christopher Lee, and they no longer claim that he is definitely cast – just that he is willing to be in the film IF a deal can be worked out.


Peter S Beagle has also stated in interviews that when the rights do revert back to him, he does know people who are interested in making the live-action movie happen. I dunno, I'm confident that Peter would make sure that any movie was as perfect as humanly possible - I mean, this is his baby, and he's going to want to make sure that it's the best it can be for the fans, and to stay true to his original vision.

[Netkeeper]

I'm so glad he's so dedicated. I really hope he gets what he wants from it and that the movie turns out good.

[Warhorse]

This is when I wish Disney had the rights to a property, I think they could make a stellar The Last Unicorn. I wouldn't object to it being modernized either.

But damn, who would play play who.

Lady Amalthea/Unicorn:
Cate Blanchett
Kerry Washington
Emma Watson
Ming-Na Wen
Kate Winslet
Peta Wilson
Rachel Weisz

Schmendrick:
Simon Pegg is my number one choice. I really can't think who else could top him. Close runner ups might be Martin Freeman, Adrian Brody, Sharlto Copely and Tom Hiddleston.

King Haggard-while Christopher Lee would be the most likely choice, my personal favorite would be James Cromwell. Other possibilities, Christoph Waltz, Donald Sutherland, Jeff Bridges (could be one of those easter eggs) Bernard Hill, Jeremy Irons and Alan Rickman.

Molly Grue:
Nicole Beharie is my first choice. Paula Patton, Kerry Washington and Sonequa Martin-Green are other favorites for the role.

Prince Lir:
Matt Bomer
John Boyega
Armie Hammer
Luke Evans
James Badge Dale

Mommy Fortuna.
Meryl Streep!

As for the music now. I think it's selling point was the awesome soundtrack. I would hope they stick with the Celtic sound for the movie. I would not object to Enya being brought in to do some of the work. I also love Evanescence (My Immortal) Tori Amos, if they are still together, The Cranberries or The Sundays, Alicia Keys and Cocteau Twins have sounds that I think could fit a movie about a unicorn quite well.

[pennydreadful]

The idea of casting Helena Bonham Carter as Molly Grue seems to be fairly popular amongst the fans... while I do think she's a good actress, I worry that she is a little too pretty - I kind of imagine Molly as being quite worn-looking. That being said, if she were cast, I still think she'd do a marvelous job.

A lot of fans also like the idea of Emilia Clarke as Lady Amalthea, and Tom Hiddleston as either Prince Lir or Schmendrick; here are some photo-manips by fans:







I really would struggle to accept anybody other than Christopher Lee as King Haggard though - the man just has a presence and a gravitas that is essential to the part, I think.

I suppose Charles Dance or Bill Nighy could maybe do it, but it just wouldn't be the same.

[Warhorse]

Schmendrick was my favorite, and I am still stubborn on Simon Pegg playing him. I just think he would be awesome.