SCDD reported a few months ago that the classic tearjerker was being remade for Lifetime with an all-black cast; now here’s your chance to see the trailer.
Click on the image above to view the new cast’s roles, and click HERE to view the trailer.
Ummm…yeah…I’m going to withold my comments until the full-length movie is released.
Eurweb and ABC previously reported that Steel Magnolias would be remade with an all-black cast; now we have the deets on who will star. Deadline.com reveals that Queen Latifah will play M’Lynn, the long-suffering Southern matron; Alfre Woodard will play Quiser, the wealthy and irreverent contrarian; Phylicia Rashad will play Clairee, the elegant, tart-tongued widow; Jill Scott will play Truvy, the southern-fried salon beauty parlor owner; Adepero Oduye (known for her lead turn in Pariah) will portray naive newcomer Annelle, and doomed sweetheart Shelby will be played by Condola Rashad (daughter of Phylicia and Ahmad, who made her Broadway debut in Stick Fly).
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
The original film featured Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah and Julia Roberts. One of my favorite scenes:
I really like to withhold judgment until a film airs but this casting leaves a little to be desired, and I think at least a couple of roles have been seriously miscast. I’m not eager to hear another round of “fake” southern accents, if indeed the movie will be set in the south (Louisiana). But I am eager to see if Kenny Leon can make his Lifetime television version as poignant and funny as the original. The film is treasured for its pacing and I especially loved that the interaction and emotion between the women didn’t feel forced. Yes, it was a little hokey and yes, the accents were syrupy, but it’s a classic! And pink is my signature color!
What say you?
Image via Eurweb.com, People, , Rotten Tomatoes, Broadway World