Atlanta, GA 12/6/2010 10:50:46 PM
George Clooney has come under fire for not using the same stage cast in his forthcoming adaptation of ‘Enron’
The Hollywood hearthrob is to co-produce and direct the
satire of greed and though playright Lucy Prebble has been hired to pen
the first draft of the script, the team who made the original UK
production will not be involved.
Rupert Goold won Best Director at the 2010 Olivier Awards for his
staging of ‘Enron’, which he worked on for three years before taking it
to theatres, is particularly unhappy with the move.
He told the Observer newspaper: "How do you compete with George Clooney?”
Philip Hedley, former director of the Theatre Royal Stratford East,
added: "It's a great shame that the original talent hasn't been able to
follow through, to put on to film what they've originally created."
Another unnamed but prominent theatre director said: "Everything works
on celebrity and famous names."
Laura Ziskin acquired the film rights and has teamed up with George to
work on the movie, but said the production will have a different “take”
to the UK stage play.
She said: "Once you've done something… you've done it. Let that stand on its own. This is an American story."
A US version of ‘Enron’ closed after just 15 performances on New York’s Broadway.
