Michelle Williams and Naomi Watts in Marilyn Monroe bio FACE-OFF

[Mr Betty Draper]

Inspired by VoR's Elizabeth Taylor one, although the circumstances here are slightly different.

Currently there are TWO films in production based on the life of Marilyn. One with Dawson's Creek, ex of Heath Ledger fame MICHELLE WILLIAMS, the other with NAOMI WATTS of The Ring/King Kong/Mulholland Drive fame.

WHICH WILL MAKE THE BETTER MARILYN?

I much prefer this scenario anyway, because we will actually get to decide after seeing both films. I fear the Elizabeth Taylor situation will end up with Angelina doing it, and us all rather wishing poor hog face CZJ got the part.

[Mr Betty Draper]

Naomi:



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655389/

Her film is directed by the guy who did the beautiful western THE ASSASINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD.

[VoR]

I've liked them both in various things, but I think they're both a tad dull (and THIN) to be playing screen goddess Marilyn Monroe. I can't imagine sour-faced old Jen really getting across Marilyn's legendary comic gifts at all.

I'll go with Team Naomi because I like her slightly more and bitch needs a hit.

[Mr Betty Draper]

Michelle:



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655420/

Her film is directed by Simon Curtis who has done loads of Cranford episodes and the TV-drama 'A Short Stay In Switzerland' with Julie Walters.

[Diddy]

I was wondering out ex-Destiny's Child Michelle Williams would play Marilyn when I read the title

[Mr Betty Draper]

I'm going for Michelle. I think they are both actually AMAZING actresses. Anyone in doubt should check Naomi out in Mulholland Drive and Michelle out in Wendy & Lucy - both HOT SHIT performances I tell thee. But for this, I think Michelle fits the bill slightly better looks-wise, and I'd so LOVE for her to break out in a big movie. She's one of the best young actresses working today.

[ameraal]

oh i just love naomi, one of my favourite actresses ever

she's totally convincing as monroe too

[TurnerPrize]

I'm so so pleased we're getting a proper Marilyn biopic. I know there's been a tv movie, but the lack of a proper big bells and whistles Hollywood one has always confused me (unless it's just passed me by). And with two in the works it hopefully means we'll get at least one magnificent one.

I'm happy with both choices, but i enjoy Michelle Williams much much more. I connect with her performances loads more than ol' Naomi's, and i second the Wendy and Lucy love. Also i've banged on about it before, but Short Stay in Switzerland effected me WAY more than any film has ever managed to do, so the Williams one is already in the lead for me.

[Ellie]

I'll go for Michelle Williams, not least because Naomi Watts is a bit old for the role.

[Loufoque]

I LOVE Michelle Williams. She does angst like no other female actress. She made me want to catch my husband cheating on me with another man

[cwej]

Definitely Watts. Williams is utterly overrated.

[TurnerPrize]

I need to move to your part of the world cwej. I rarely meet anyone who knows who she is, let alone overrates her.

According to Empire, the Williams biopic is about one week of Marilyn's life (spent in England), and Kenneth branagh is in talks to play Larry Olivier. Neither of these bits of information appeal to me much.

[Mr Betty Draper]

Yes, I hope it doesn't devolve into an OAP matinee showing type affair, a la 'Me & Orson Welles'.

[TurnerPrize]

Is the Watts one a whole 'all the famous years of her life' shebang? It had better be.

I wonder how they'll approach her death.

[Mr Betty Draper]

The Watts one is based on a famous biography called 'Blonde', so I assume so, yes.

[Ellie]

But would it be an good idea to have a 42 year old play a woman who died at 36, with probably most of the film being portraying her in her 20s?

[Madison]

Maybe they could set it in 1975 in an alternate reality where Monroe was chosen by Nixon to be his VP for the second term, and then we got a Gina Davies style presidency.

Also aliens.

[Lunar Foetus]

I was wondering out ex-Destiny's Child Michelle Williams would play Marilyn when I read the title

me too! i was like "SHE'S BLACK! IT WON'T WORK!"

[Mr Betty Draper]

MORE CASTING NEWS FOR THE MICHELLE WILLIAMS ONE:

Kenneth Branagh - Laurence Olivier
Judi Dench - Sybil Thorndike

Dench Spending Two Weeks With "Marilyn"
By Garth Franklin Friday August 27th 2010 09:49PM

Judi Dench has signed on to the Marilyn Monroe semi-biopic "My Week With Marilyn" reports The Daily Mail.

The story is based on a diary by Colin Clark, a young actor who worked for Laurence Olivier when the veteran actor shepherded Marilyn Monroe around London while she shot "The Prince and the Showgirl".

Kenneth Branagh and Michelle Williams are set to play Olivier and Monroe respectively, and Simon Curtis directs the project.

Dench would play actress Sybil Thorndike, a fellow Dame who played the dowager queen in the film and one of the few people on the set who understood and got on with Monroe.

Dench will start shooting her scenes on September 20th, two weeks prior to the main body of the shoot. This is being done to accommodate Dench’s commitment to James Madden’s "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel".

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/181...-with-marilyn-

[Loufoque]

This is bound to be ANOTHER TRIUMPH for QUEEN OF TEEN 20s ANGST MICHELLE

[TurnerPrize]

Oh lovely. Here's who she's playing -



I quite want to see the Prince & the Showgirl. Larry and Marilyn is an intriguing little matchup.

[Lunar Foetus]

I hope in a freak turn of events, this star gets it:

[Phoenix]

Defenitely Watts, I've loved her most of her roles and 21 Grams remains one of my all time favorite movies. Also she needs a big hit so she'll stop getting remakes all the time and people need to start giving her more attention.

The other sounds good as well, but I'm not a fan of these one week in the life movies.

[cwej]

I need to move to your part of the world cwej. I rarely meet anyone who knows who she is, let alone overrates her.

According to Empire, the Williams biopic is about one week of Marilyn's life (spent in England), and Kenneth branagh is in talks to play Larry Olivier. Neither of these bits of information appeal to me much.

The woman is an Oscar nominated actress. I mean overrated in movie circles - not in the general public.

[Mr Betty Draper]

Are you just basing that on what you think of her in Brokeback Mountain? Cos she's been BRILLIANT in plenty of other films. I don't think the BBM perf is particularly fondly valued, even in movie circles. More of a case of her being caught up in the Brokeback Mountain awards sweep. It's her work in small hardly-seen independents that people respect her for, I think.

[Loufoque]

She should be respected for her work in Dawson's Creek, FRANKLY. She was the best thing in it by a mile and anyone who can make those scripts MOVING deserved an Emmy

[Ellie]

I thought Williams was a bit poo in I'm Not There. Other than that I think Brokeback Mountain is the only other film I've seen her in. I was annoyed by her Academy Award nomination for that as I thought Anne Hathaway was much better.

[TurnerPrize]

Did we know EMMA bloody WATSON has signed up for the Michelle Williams one? Unless she's taken many acting lessons or is playing a plank of wood i hold low hope. Eddie Redmayne is the male lead though, which is better news i think.

That's probably the main casting done now, since it's started filming this week.

[Phoenix]

First picture of Michelle as Marilyn...



She looks good but more in the sense that she is someone trying to look like Marilyn rather than Marilyn herself.

[Mats]

Watts can do it way better than that

[ameraal]

she looks sexy
for someone in a coma
i'm guessing she's supposed to be in one in that picture?

[VoR]

She looks more like Marilyn MANSON in that picture!

[Jark]

She looks good but more in the sense that she is someone trying to look like Marilyn rather than Marilyn herself.

Well that's because she IS someone trying to look like Marilyn rather than Marilyn herself.

[VoR]

Well that's because she IS someone trying to look like Marilyn rather than Marilyn herself.

OH MY GOD COULD YOU BE ANY MORE PATRONISING

[TurnerPrize]

I'm sure when she brings out the hot Michelle Williams acting skills there'll be enough of a likeness to convince .

In that picture she does remind me of the last time i saw the late GrandmaPrize though, in the hospice like.

[VoR]

Whatever happened to the Naomi Watts version of this then? Quietly ditched/straight to DVD?

I can't imagine sour-faced old Jen really getting across Marilyn's legendary comic gifts at all.

Well I was wrong about this, wasn't I?

It was still a terrible film though.