So apparently a new movie adaptation of JCS is expected to be released. Who would YOU cast for this if you could? Here's my list.

Jesus: Neil Patrick Harris
Judas: Adam Lambert
Mary Magdalene: Zooey Deschanel
Pontius Pilate: Marcus Mumford
Caiaphas: Christopher Lee
Annas: Bruce Dickinson
Peter: Joseph Gordon-Leavitt
Simon Zealotes: Bruno Mars
Kind Herod: Jason Segel

Please tell me you're joking.

Jesus: Hugh Jackman
Judas: Ramin Karimloo
Mary Magdalene: Anne Hathaway
Pontius Pilate: Russel Crowe
Caiaphas: Johnny Depp
Annas: (not sure who that is...)
Peter: Gerrard Butler
Simon Zealotes:Ryan Reynolds
Kind Herod: Sacha Baron Cohen

NPH does not have the right voice for Jesus. You need a high, heavy metal tenor for that.

Hugh Jackman looks a little too old to play Jesus. Plus, could he hit those notes? He could barely sing the high notes in "Bring Him Home" in Les Mis!

Well, that's because he inexplicably chose to sing it without falsetto in an awkward volume for those notes (though I thought he sounded really bad elsewhere- "One Day More" especially).

I've got this, followed by my justification for said casting:

Judas Iscariot………………………………………………………………………………MIKA
Jesus of Nazareth……………………………………………………………CHRIS CORNELL
Mary Magdalene……………………………………………………NICOLE SCHERZINGER
Caiaphas……………………………………………………………………………NICK CAVE
Annas………………………………………………………………………………………HUGH LAURIE
Simon Zealotes……………………………………………………BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG
Pontius Pilate……………………………………………………………………STING
Peter…………………………………………………………………………BRET McKENZIE
King Herod…………………………………………………………………………TIM CURRY

Judas: It's very easy to pick similar sounding performers for Jesus and Judas, but I feel there should be more of a contrast between the two vocally, much like there is between their ideals in the actual story. Where Chris Cornell is very much a rock vocalist, Mika has an extensive range that lends itself best to seemingly simplistic pop, with more layers becoming apparent the more you examine it. He also does a mean Freddie Mercury imitation (witness "Grace Kelly," which sounds just like Freddie came back), which is always a plus in my book. A quick listen to his catalogue reveals a phenomenally impressive emotional range as well, ranging from a very sort of pent-up, screwed up thing, to a very wild type of approach.

Jesus: Vocally, Chris Cornell has the ability in spades. He's known for a four-octave vocal range, and powerful belting technique. It's not for nothing that Cornell was ranked fourth in the list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists" by Hit Parader. He could bring back the rock edge that the role of Jesus has desperately needed, and he could knock "Gethsemane" out of the park in his sleep. It helps that he looks like the classic Renaissance image of Christ, which is something Hollywood will never quite get away from, let's be honest. He's a tad old for the role at 48, but if Ted Neeley can pull it off in his late sixties, this guy (who still looks and sounds amazing) can give it a good whack. The only thing that gives me pause is his potential acting ability, but as anybody who's seen Ted Neeley on stage compared to his film performance can tell you, film and editing choices are key -- the camera can give a lot of visual flair and add coloration that isn't there to a performance that needs it.

Mary: First of all, rumor is she's in talks, so this is a safe bet. We know she can sing, she's attractive and in great physical shape ('cause Hollywood needs to net the straight male audience somehow), and the role is small enough (for a female lead, anyway) that I think she can pull it off without chipping her nails or annoying the audience.

Caiaphas: Just look at Nick Cave. Menacing presence doesn't begin to cover it. That mofo is Gollum level scary. Secondly, vocally, Caiaphas is well within his capabilities. And of course, the possibility of including "Then We Are Decided" in the film allows you to first see this terrifying personage (I know, I know, I'm being cruel, I'll stop) and then realize that he has motives for what he's doing, which is what JCS is really about anyway: why people did what they did when they did it.

Annas: I wanted to go deliberately against the grain here in terms of casting for age, because the show has since taken on a shape of its own that kind of departs from the Bible, and one key fact they ignore is that Annas was not only older, he was a former High Priest (sort of like a professor emeritus) advising Caiaphas, who was his son-in-law. Getting his son-in-law installed as High Priest effectively continued his control of the priesthood, so JCS nails the shrewd, coldly calculating, manipulative side, but the age thing is a factor. I wanted someone older who was vocally perfect with a menacing presence. Several names were kicked around, including Paul Stanley, Sting, and either Hugh Laurie or Tom Jones, both of whom have the notes and are going through critically acclaimed blues howler periods right now. I even considered Tim Curry here, but at his age, I highly doubt he's got the C's and D's in his range anymore. A friend liked the idea of Hugh Laurie, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was being too literal. Remember the words of Norman Jewison: "An opera, not history..." Plus, the combo of Nick Cave and Hugh Laurie is menacing as all hell.

Simon: Alright, alright, this may have some of you scratching your head, but hear me out. This is my justification: go listen to "American Idiot." Youthful. Exuberant. Idealistic. Militant. See my point? It helps that Simon's song isn't particularly rangy (only newer performers in the role have really added any vocal acrobatics to the part; the performer on the concept album is positively boring by comparison), and that Billie Joe is a fan of JCS (witness his tattoo of the angels in prayer logo).

Pilate: I was initially at a stalemate here. I'd considered Tom Waits for the role initially; I really wanted at least one offbeat casting choice in this mix, and I thought Waits would be a convincing slightly older Pilate, beaten down by seeing the world, a soldier elevated to an aristocratic position with no clue how to play the game. He's brutally put down past rebellions by the Jews, and tried to keep things just sane enough that he can get transferred to another outpost and live out the rest of his days comfortably. And then the Galilean crosses his path... but the more I thought about it, the more I felt Sting was a better fit -- he had the range ("Pilate's Dream" sounds like one of his mid-Nineties ballads), and he was Scorsese's first choice for Last Temptation pre-Bowie.

Peter: The role isn't particularly rangy, and it really doesn't matter who you put here because it's essentially a thankless cameo, but Bret just... feels right. You know what I mean? He sounds great, and another dramatic role would suit him nicely.

Herod: This particular casting suits my take on Herod nicely. The typical audition notice pretty much describes Frank N. Furter without the drag, and it would be relatively effortless for Tim to deliver a menacing/comic turn, perhaps even offer the definitive performance in that vein.

Ah, if he'd use falsetto once in a while or sing it a la Michael Ball he could do it! Or he could pull a Crowe or Madonna and change the keys...

My personal casting aside, just seeing Jesus Christ Superstar on the big screen would delight me.

I'd love for the original film to be re-released, personally (in one of those 'limited engagement' type deals, ala Cabaret or Lawrence of Arabia). It's long overdue for a Blu-Ray release and does have its 40th anniversary coming up in a few months...

^ You'll be pleased to know, Flynn, that the Blu-Ray comes out May 7.

I'm very pleased to hear that.

Dear Musicals.Net Posters,

I have the ACTUAL CAST LIST (Well, the cast list...SO FAR):

Jesus= John Stamos (Although a million WOMEN would jinx themselves by letting HIM "expire", because they want him so much, fer SHURR!)
Judas= Nick Jonas
Mary Magdalene= Ariana Grande
Pontius Pilate= Russell Crowe
Caiaphas= ?
Annas= ?
Peter= ?
Simon Zealotes= Will Smith
King Herod= Alec Baldwin (He should be the hottest Herod EVER!)

Thanks in advance for your replies.