A film version has been announced on and off since the late 1980s. In Playbills early in the Broadway run there were ads with the drawing of Cosette saying "She will be coming to cinemas" and a general timeframe (such as "this spring"). Nothing ever came of this film.
Early on, Alan Parker was attached to direct. In 1992, Cameron Mackintosh told the press that Bruce Beresford would direct and Tri-Star Pictures would co-produce with him. This project was abandoned. In March 2011, there was an announcement that Tom Hooper would be direct a script by William Nicholson and to be produced by Mackintosh.
Actors considered for roles include:
- Alfie Boe as Valjean
- Paul Bettany, Robert Downey, Jr., and Sean Penn as Javert
- Amy Adams, Jessica Biel, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, and Rebecca Hall as Fantine
- Hayden Panettiere, Scarlett Johansson, Lea Michele, Lucy Hale, Emily Browning, Evan Rachel Wood, and Taylor Swift as Eponine
- Jamie Campbell Bower as Enjolras
- Emma Watson, Shailene Woodley, Miranda Cosgrove, Emily Marie Palmer, Lili Reinhart, and Portia Doubleday as Cosette
- Geoffrey Rush as Thénardier.
