ROTTEN TOMATOES: Sacha Baron to Go Old-School for "Sweeney Todd"??

Sacha Baron to Go Old-School for "Sweeney Todd"??

by Scott Weinberg | December 18, 2006

Now here's some amusing gossip from the set of Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd" adaptation: Allegedly the singing voice of Sacha "Borat" Baron Cohen is so inappropriate that the comedian has been asked to "rap" his lyrics instead of crooning them.

Keep in mind that this report comes from The Sun, which I believe is one of the UK's more popular gossip rags: "The report says Cohen simply couldn't perform the operatic tunes required for the role. "There was never any question of Sacha being axed from the movie," an alleged insider advised the paper. "He is going to do a fantastic job. But he couldn't cut it with the singing. His voice was too low." So the filmmakers have decided to let Cohen perform Pirelli's songs a little differently. "Sacha has been told to go for a rap style," claimed the source. "It will be a bit like Jim Broadbent's performance in "Moulin Rouge."

Click here for the full report -- which is one that Paramount is denying whole-heartedly.
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Anyone believe this is true? And if it is, does anyone care??

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(1-7 of 7 posts) | Reply

Paul_Is_Drunk writes:
on Dec 18 2006 01:15 AM

Does anyone care? No. Sacha is a comedic genius.

(Reply to this)

mojodaddy writes:
on Dec 18 2006 05:39 AM

Yeah I don't care either.

(Reply to this)

lrm8 writes:
on Dec 18 2006 07:40 AM

this movie just sounds so weird to the point its reached "this is so crazy it just might work!" status. i'd be skeptical if it was anybody other than tim burton at the helm, but since he is directing, im all in. i'd watch burton film paint drying, especially if that movie had johnny depp and sacha baron cohen like this one does. cant wait.

(Reply to this)

jukeboxhero6660 writes:
on Dec 18 2006 10:20 AM

i dont really like this, since i am a huge fan of the musical and i would not like them to change the music that much, i understand changes so that it all flows and such but this would be to much.

(Reply to this)

gvcool2 writes:
on Dec 19 2006 12:11 AM

as big a fan I am of tim burtons movies, he has become too much of a predicatable conceptualist (real word), I can simply picture how this movie is going to be realised before a photo is even released. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about it, because for a director to have such a distinctive style is a great achievement and I have no doubt that this movie will still be great, but I haven't seen a burton film recently where some form of object hasn't curved or slanted to represent evil or poverty

(Reply to this)

Ultimale069 writes:
on Dec 19 2006 12:37 PM

Call me a guy who appreciates the classics, but for christ's sake, stop bowing source material to the whims of celebrities! There is too much beurocracy and intereference in movies today, with celebrities making decisions, producers hijacking stories, and weak directors not standing up for a film made in their vision that it is no wonder that we keep getting the same crap over and over. Instead of going with a famous name, go for someone who can sing- there are more people who can sing and act and be funny than just the top hollywood 20.

(Reply to this)

tito63 writes:
on May 13 2007 08:27 PM

The role of Pirelli, that Mr. Cohen is playing, was speciifically composed for a "countertenor" which is the male operatic voice sung mostly in falsetto, or head voice.
The composer, Stephen Sondheim, wrote the music in the late 1970s to be performed with this kind of a voice, and in productions all over the world it has been done this way.
However, as there is a paucity of A- list countertenors in Hollywood (smile), one can hardly expect it to be done this way for the film unless it is dubbed by a professional singer.
Mr. Cohen has the exact look for the role of Pirelli, and there is a striking similarity to his BORAT characterization and that of the original portrayal of Pirelli in the first productions of Sweeney Todd.
As much as I love the original, I think Mr. Cohen will made the role his own regardless of how the role is performed/sung.

(Reply to this)

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