Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
HOLLYWOOD Q&A
Q: Why have they never made a film version of “Miss Saigon”?
A: Given Hollywood’s love of adaptations, you’d think that by now it would have gotten around to “Miss Saigon” — one of the most beloved Broadway musicals of the late 20th century. As for why it hasn’t yet happened, you’d have to ask Danny Boyle — he came the closest.
Rumors circulated in 2017 and ‘18 that the famed British director of “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008) and “127 Hours” (2010) would take it on. Sadly, that claim never amounted to more than a rumor, and nothing’s been said of it since.
It’s possible that Hollywood agrees with some Broadway critics who believe the play’s racial and gender politics wouldn’t work as well today.
“’Miss Saigon’ ... will continue to be problematic for years to come unless it rids itself of its Orientalism, toxic misogyny and white savior complex,” Deadline.com critic Dino-Ray Ramos wrote.
Of course, that hasn’t stopped Hollywood before, not to mention that Ramos’ critique is actually just a call to update the script to address these issues — something the film biz is often happy to do (after all, that’s what Disney did with many of the somewhat horrifying children’s tales it adapted).
There’s also the fact that the play “Miss Saigon” is itself already an adaptation of Puccini’s opera “Madame Butterfly,” a story that has been told on screen numerous times already.
It’s also possible that the play’s moment has passed. Its days as a Broadway sensation came decades ago, and a recent Broadway revival was met with harsh reviews and less-thansensational ticket sales.
Q: What are Paget Brewster and Joe Mantegna doing now that “Criminal Minds” is over?
A: That’s easy: More “Criminal Minds.”
Just two years after it left the CBS airwaves — after a whopping 15-year run — a revival of the crime-procedural hit has gone into production.
Six of the show’s fan-favorite cast members — Paget Brewster, Joe Mantegna, Kirsten Vangsness, Adam Rodriguez, A.J. Cook and Aisha Tyler — are currently shooting the new 10-episode season, which will be available on the Paramount+ streaming service, likely sometime next year.
What’s more, cast members have all signed multi-year deals, according to Deadline.com, which suggests that Paramount+ is considering future seasons if this reboot is a hit.
To return to your question, that’s not all Brewster and Mantegna have been up to — and their recent work is pretty different from serial-killer profiling.
Brewster has been leaning into a thriving voice-acting career in recent years, including the lead role in her very own series, “Birdgirl,” on Adult Swim. She also has ongoing roles on “American Dad” and “DuckTales,” among other animated hits.
Mantegna, meanwhile, has been doing a lot of playing himself — as a host of shows such as Outdoor Channel’s “Midway USA’s Gun Stories” and in two episodes of the Los Angeles-set dramedy series “Barry.”
He’s also directed a biopic, “I’m Not A Comedian ... I’m Lenny Bruce,” which is currently in post-production, and has signed on to once again host PBS’s annual “National Memorial Day Concert” broadcast next year.
Q: How did Chris Pine get his start? He seems to have just arrived suddenly as a movie star.
A: It’s almost like a fairy tale — something out of, say, “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement” (2004). That, in case you didn’t guess, was Pine’s first major role.
This turn as a dreamy nobleman came after a few one-off guest spots on hit shows such as “ER” and “CSI: Miami” in 2003. So, while stardom wasn’t exactly handed to him, it did come on an accelerated timeline.
By 2005 he was the lead in a feature film, albeit an indie one: a crime thriller called “Confession.”
Then came leads in a couple of cheaply made rom-coms (“Just My Luck” and “Blind Dating,” both released in 2006) and roles in more respected ensemble films, like “Smokin’ Aces” in 2006 and 2008’s “Bottle Shock.”
Then, in 2009, he appeared in the role of a lifetime as a young James Kirk in the feature film adaptation “Star Trek.” With that, his superstardom was pretty much cemented.
Pine still looks back fondly on “The Princess Diaries 2,” not just because it’s the one that made him a star but also because of the lustrous, Prince Charming-esque hair they gave him.
“I got to work with Garry Marshall [”Runaway Bride,” 1999] and Anne Hathaway [”The Devil Wears Prada,” 2006] and a whole bunch of stuff, but it’s mostly for the hair.”
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