Jane Austen’s novel “Emma has been tapped for adaptation into a Hip Hop musical. We get this peculiar news thanks to the professionals at Variety:
Screen Gems is planning a hip-hop musical reimagining of Jane Austen’s classic novel “Emma” for the bigscreen. Contemporary-set tale, which takes place at an inner-city high school, revolves around a stepbrother and stepsister. Film will include at least 15 song and dance numbers. Tyger Williams penned the screenplay.Screen Gems topper Clint Culpepper said he came up with the idea for “Emma,” which will likely be redubbed “Emme,” after watching the musicvideo “Lipgloss” by Lil Mama. “Now it’s urban,” Culpepper said. “This is the way it should be reimagined in the new millennium.”
I am uncertain why they are taking a classic book, setting the adaptation in an inner city high school and then adding 15 songs to the film. Why not just make your own story? I haven’t read this book but I stress to find the logic in using it as a source for an inner city, HIgh School, Hip Hop Musical.
I have a strong dislike for modern adaptations of stories that have a historical setting. I hated the 1996 adaptation of Romeo And Juliet for this very reason – I find it horribly fucking lame. Characters are intertwined with their surroundings and their place in history; it is an injustice to yank them apart as far as I am concerned. If you want to make a film based on Emma – do just that. International Friends, what are your thoughts on the matter?
My first choice for movies is usually action, and my second is usually comedy.
But…
I’m happen to be one of those guys who loved Sense and Sensibility, the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice, and the Indian remake Bride and Prejudice.
About the only thing that could keep me away from a musical take on Emma is if were set to Hip-Hop music. But then again I’m probably not their target audience.
Why can’t we just all leave it at “Clueless?”
i have to agree with what everyone else has said. regarding carmen the hip hopera, i can say it is the worst movie i’ve ever seen. luckily it was on television so it was free. i would like to see an ORIGINAL musical in rap form… urban is something i don’t understand, usually it means lots of black people with a white person writing the script.
Please, please, please, please stop making shitty ripoff films of classic literature. It’s not ‘urban’, it’s ‘shite’. Pack it in, Culpepper.
Doug,
I think I speak for everyone when I tell you that you are a douche bag.
They are doing to “Emma” what most Hip Hop / Rap artists do for most of their songs… Usually lacking the talent and/or originality to come up with their own works, they simply steal a sound byte, riff, background track, etc and throw in some ass bad “lyrics” and call it a song.
Take Kanye West. His latest “hit” is simply the slightly reworked melody from a GREAT Daft Punk song. And if you look at iTunes reviews people hail him as some sort or rap wunderkind who “keeps it real” and wil single-handedly save the rap world. Um… yeah… sure.
I agree with you on the idea that if they want to do a modern musical in a “hip hop / urban” style, just do that. I would be slightly interested to see that. I liked “Chicago”, i liked “Sweeney Todd”, i LOVED “Once”. 3 VERY different styles of musical. I could love “Hip Hop Musical” as well… although i dont think that i could ever love “When Harry Met Sally – the Urban Musical Version” or “Henry dah Fiff – a period piece telling the story of Henry V set to rap music”.
I can’t even comment logically because this movie news makes me disgusted and angry. This movie doesn’t need to be made. Ugh.
Good lord! As if they didn’t already have enough adaptations of the book already! Hip hop Emma? Lame!
Erika, you beat me to it. I was just gonna mention that CArmen bullshit that MTV did with Beyonce. AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL!
I really hated that “hip-hopera” version of Carmen. It was total crap. I am not looking foward to this musical version of Emma at all.
Emma was the basis for “Clueless”. It’s a story that is flexible enough in it’s basic premise to be ripe for modern updates and adaptation. The brilliance of Austen’s stories and why they are so relevant to modern audiences and readers still is that they aren’t just period stories about Georgian England, they’re about class, human relationships, clashing personalities, and the search for love. Those are all relevant themes that could be explored in an urban setting.
That said these “urban” adaptations are usually crap and are quickly forgotten. Anyone remember that dreadful Beyonce “Hip-Hopera” version of Carmen? The black TV version of Pollyanna? yikes.
Maybe they really wanted to make a “Step Up 3” but couldn’t come up with a great story so just lifted this. Chances are it will make money and an army of teenagers will slobber it up.
The only thing I would take issue with is the statement “This is the way it should be reimagined in the new millennium.”
I fail to see the logic there, but then, I am not a movie exec.
I dont like this idea of EMMA becoming some hip hop bullshit musical. ENOUGH WITH THE FUCKING MUSICALS!!!! I loved reading the book when I was a little girl. Its a really good story. BUT NOT AS A MUSICAL. To me the best modern adaptations of EMMA was CLUELESS. I am mad now!
…..no