'Into the Woods' with Anna Kendrick and Chris Pine

Tony Award-winning musical “Into the Woods” will soon become the next major Broadway hit to cross over onto the silver screen. Rob Marshall (“Chicago”) directs with a screenplay penned by James Lapine, co-writer of the original musical with Stephen Sondheim. The film’s ensemble cast includes Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, and Johnny Depp.

“Into the Woods” takes place in a fairytale world where the characters and plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales intersect. When a Baker (Corden) and his Wife (Blunt) are cursed by an evil Witch (Streep), they must journey into the woods to break the spell. Kendrick, of Broadway and “Pitch Perfect” fame, plays Cinderella, with Pine (“Star Trek”) cast opposite as her Prince.

Anna Kendrick plays the role of Cinderella in the upcoming film "Into the Woods." Chris Pine plays her Prince. By COURTESY WALT DISNEY PICTURES

Kendrick thinks the film adaptation will resonate with audiences of all backgrounds due to the universality of the story. “I think that thematically, the whole piece is really about parents and children and the disappointments of parents and the failings of parents, and it’s based on stories that parents have told their children for generations,” Kendrick says. “But there’s the element where it’s pure fantasy and it’s exciting for kids, and then there’s an element that’s really specifically centered towards parents. Which is, we have to be careful what we tell our children and children take lessons to heart, and it’s about understanding that they’re listening to us even if it doesn’t feel that way.”

Pine approached the film from a unique perspective, having recently starred in two “Star Trek” films and the recent reboot of Tom Clancy’s “Jack Ryan” series—all blockbuster action films. He also brings a level of musical talent to the film—Pine previously performed an original country song titled “Someday Came Today” for the 2010 film “Small Town Saturday Night.” “[The film] was a lot of fun, and it was totally different than what I had done before,” says Pine.

“The musical theater genre is very specific, and the sound that you’re going for is obviously quite different than something like the country music I did before. But I had a lot of fun learning the ins and outs of the technique and of the genre, and I had a lot of incredibly talented people who had worked in this medium before, from Anna to Meryl and Christine [Baranski].” Filming “Into the Woods” was also a different experience for Kendrick. “We’re singing pop music in ‘Pitch Perfect’ and we’re singing Sondheim in this, so I was petrified and excited. It was an unbelievable challenge, but obviously singing Sondheim is so rewarding and fulfilling, and it was just a dream come true,” says Kendrick.

Kendrick, Pine, and the rest of the cast of “Into the Woods” arrive in theaters with their dark fairy tale on Christmas Day.

—Crimson staff writer Alan R. Xie can be reached at alan.xie@thecrimson.com.