This is not a result of a snowbird mass exodus or a yearly fumigation, though. Several sources confirm that the upcoming movie adaptation of the Broadway hair-metal extravaganza Rock of Ages, which stars Tom Cruise, will film performance scenes inside the 1,100-capacity venue.
The film's ensemble cast includes Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bryan Cranston, Alec Baldwin, Mary J. Blige, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Julianne Hough, Watchmen star Malin Akerman, and Mexican pop singer Diego Boneta.
The original Rock of Ages production, which features a story of the Sunset Strip based around power ballads scooped directly out of umpteen TimeLife collections — including hits by Whitesnake, Styx, Journey, and the like — has grown quite a bit from a 2006 Los Angeles debut (Tenacious D's Kyle Gass and Singled Out host Chris Hardwick were in that cast). By the time it reached off-Broadway and Broadway in New York in 2008-09, American Idol castoff Constantine Maroulis starred as up-and-comer Drew Bowie (now Boneta's role in the film). A U.S. tour (hitting the Broward Center from December 28 to January 9) and Canadian, Australian, and British spinoffs of the production have followed.
Most of the information leaking out about the Rock of Ages movie, set for a 2012 release, has come directly from director Adam Shankman's Twitter (@adammshankman), which has been quite active lately.
So, in addition to the possibility of seeing Maverick and Jack Donaghy hanging at the Poorhouse, there could be an even-greater-than-normal influx of Hollywood talent sprinkled around the greater Miami region in the coming month and a half.
