Chris Pine And Jake Gyllenhaal Score Roles In ‘Into The Woods’
When you hear the names Chris Pine and Jake Gyllenhaal one doesn’t automatically think of a great musical duo , but that’s about to change. The two have been cast as the princes in the musical film adaptation of Into the Woods.
According to the report, the two actors have done a chemistry test for director Rob Marshall who is currently prepping an adaptation for Disney. During the test the two also sang together. Those who aren’t aware of the roles, Gyllenhaal and Pine are set to play two egotistical and pompous princes who romance Cinderella and Rapunzel. Compared to early sign-ons Meryl Streep, who will play the Witch, and Johnny Depp as the wolf, they aren’t huge roles, but if played right they could steal the whole film. Pine is set to play Rapunzel’s Prince, while Gyllenhaal will play Cinderella’s Prince.
Although they tested together, the two actors have never sung on the big screen before. All we have for evidence of Gyllenhaal’s singing chops is an opening monologue from 2006’s Saturday Night Live, that sees him playing on the then popular musical to film adaptation Dreamgirls.
During the opening monologue Gyllenhaal sang “And I’m Telling You,” which eventually went on to win Jennifer Hudson an Oscar for the role of Effie. As for Pine we haven’t seen him sing at all, so we’re hoping he’s hiding some serious singing chops. If not, the two roles could be played comically as the princes spend most of the time during the production trying to “out-prince” each other.
In addition to Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp, Pine and Gyllenhaal will join Anna Kendrick, Nina Arianda, and Allison Janney. It’s a huge cast, but one that certainly deserves an iconic cast. The American Playhouse version of Into the Woods saw Broadway heavyweights Bernadette Peters, Chip Zien, Joanna Gleason, Tom Aldredge and Robert Westenberg.
We think Gyllenhaal and Pine certainly have the right looks for the roles, but we’re hoping they can follow up with a great rendition of their duet “Agony.”
Check out Jake Gyllenhaal singing the Dreamgirls classic. Do you think he has what it takes to be a prince?
