Charice rumored to play ‘Miss Saigon’ movie lead

source: gma

MANILA, Philippines – Is Charice being tapped to play the role of Kim in the upcoming film adaptation of the award-winning West End/Broadway hit, “Miss Saigon?”

A story aired on GMA News shows on May 3, which cited an online report, raised the possibility of Charice “being groomed” to play the role of Kim. The speculations, however, remain unfounded, especially without any statement coming from Charice’s camp.

Meanwhile, the “Miss Saigon” movie page on the New York Times lists the director as Lee Daniels (“Monster’s Ball” and “Precious”— produced by Oprah, Charice’s very own starbuilder and godmother). The website also listed Paula Wagner and the musical’s original producer Cameron Mackintosh as the movie producers, and will be produced by Chestnut Ridge Productions. More, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) listed the film as “in development” and its release year as 2012.

Apparently, talks of a “Miss Saigon” movie have been cropping up as early 2009. An article published on Playbill.com reported that the musical was then in its “early stages of development to become a major motion picture” and the people behind the project were aiming to begin production in 2010 in order to release the movie the following year.

“Miss Saigon,” written by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, was first staged at London’s West End on 1989 and opened in New York’s Broadway in 1991. It tells the story of an American GI who abandoned his lover, a Vietnamese bar girl, during the Vietnam War in the 70s.

It is also the play that earned Filipina theater actress Lea Salonga – the original Kim – numerous acting accolades including the prestigious Tony and Laurence Olivier awards.

To this day, “Miss Saigon” remains as the 10th longest running play in Broadway.

Other Fil-Am names brought up in separate reports pertaining to the supposed movie project are “American Idol” cast-off Thia Megia (speculated to audition) and Disney star Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, a granddaughter of “Reyna ng Kundiman” Sylvia La Torre.

Meanwhile, Charice is set to star in her first Hollywood film, “Here Comes the Boom” with Salma Hayek, which is currently in production.

source: gma