When is news ‘news,’ and when is it just pure speculation? This is a harder question to answer than you might think. Hundreds of entertainment sites run seemingly plausible news stories and editorials every week and the line between outsider speculation and insider rumor-mongering can sometimes seem paper-thin.
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So when a site like Full Circle Cinema declares that Taron Egerton is in talks for the big-screen remake of “Little Shop of Horrors,” you can be forgiven for maintaining a healthy dose of skepticism. Let’s weigh the checks and balances. One the one hand, this rumor – fairly juicy as far as rumors go – has not been confirmed or denied by any of the usual suspects. No Hollywood Reporter or Deadline articles, and none of the top-tier film publications seem interested in running with the story. Strike against.
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On the other hand, though, Collider’s Jeff Sneider did reference the scoop and add his own little twist: Scarlett Johansson is in talks to play Audrey in the finished film.
Since Sneider is in the business of breaking news, this adds a level of authenticity to Full Circle Cinema’s original reporting. It may still not be true – the absence of denial is not the presence of confirmation, or vice-versa – but if you put faith in what Sneider has to say, then it is reasonable to say that this is an insider rumor, not an outsider rumor.
Will it end up happening? Who knows! That’s half the fun. But there’s no denying that Taron Egerton can sing, that he’s (ahem) appropriately sized to play the diminutive Seymour Krelborn, and that his presence would give the project the kind of A-list sheen that the producers likely want. Meanwhile, we know that Johansson has a modestly successful musical career of her own – she has two studio albums to her name, one of which is basically just a Tom Waits cover album – so that checks out as well.
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With Billy Porter still in talks to play Audrey II, it sounds like the cast for “Little Shop of Horrors” might finally be shaping up, at least behind closed doors. Of course, back in 2012, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a lock to play Seymour in his own version of the film, so who really knows?