Chris Pine and Jake Gyllenhaal may be singing for their supper in the very near future.
The A-list duo are currently circling Disney’s big-screen adaptation of “Into the Woods,” the Tony-winning Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical that first launched on Broadway in 1987. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Pine and Gyllenhaal both met with and sang for director Rob Marshall (“Chicago”), and they are expected to receive offers shortly, to play the roles of two self-absorbed princes/brothers who romance Rapunzel and Cinderella.
If the deals come to fruition, the actors would join the previously-cast Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp, who are attached to play the Witch and the Wolf, respectively. It would be the first on-screen singing role for both Pine and Gyllenhaal.
“Into the Woods” weaves together narratives from a number of Brothers Grimm fairytales including “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Cinderella.” The main storyline centers on a baker and his wife whose struggles to begin a family are complicated by an infertility curse placed upon them by a vengeful witch.
Production on the film, which was scripted by Lapine from his original book for the musical, is expected to begin in the fall. David Krane (who previously collaborated with Marshall on both “Chicago” and “Nine”) is currently working on musical arrangements for the adaptation.
Pine will be next be seen in this weekend’s “Star Trek Into Darkness,” while Gyllenhaal has “Prisoners,” a dark thriller co-starring Hugh Jackman and Viola Davis, slated for release in September.
Do you think Pine and Gyllenhaal are right for the parts, “Into the Woods” fans? Sound off in the comments.