If you're interested in a little bit of Springtime for Hitler, then the trailer for The Producers is now up here.

I must admit, I’m quite looking forward to this one - and as a longtime fan of the original movie (I’d class it as the second funniest movie ever made, after Life Of Brian and just ahead of Spinal Tap) I wasn’t sure if I’d be saying that. I was extremely sceptical about the whole musical idea when it first reared its head a few years ago - but this was completely turned on its head by actually seeing the show at the start of its London run last year (i.e. when it was still Nathan Lane, the only man alive who can hold a candle to Zero Mostel as Max Bialystock). They change quite a lot from the movie - while a lot of the funniest bits remain intact, a fair bit of the plot is changed; with the play being set in the ’50s rather than the ’60s there’s no L.S.D and so director Roger deBris plays Hitler as extremely camp, stepping into the shoes of original Hitler Franz Liebkind (yep, the writer) when he breaks his leg on opening night. Plus there’s a romantic subplot involving Leo and Ulla, who does a lot more in the play than in the film (“Go to work?”). But it’s still an absolute riot, and the songs are great.

So, what about the movie? Even with the success of the musical, doesn’t it seem a bit pointless remaking it for the screen? Well, the trailer makes it seem like it’s been made to look a lot more like the original movie, but even so, this should hopefully be able to stand on its own. The dream team of Lane and Broderick are present and correct - Lane is absolutely magnificent in the stage show, born for the part; I can’t comment on Broderick except for having heard him sing on the soundtrack. Uma Thurman looks… well, she looks like Uma Thurman being sexy and Swedish, which can only be a good thing - as long as she can sing, as Ulla gets one song that really needs a top-notch voice. I’m not so sure about Will Ferrell - I like him when he gets lead parts (like Anchorman) but he has a habit of overplaying it in support roles (he’s like the opposite of Jack Black). And you can’t really top Kenneth Mars. But, you know, he might just pull it off. I hope the sound mix that you hear in the trailer isn’t final, though, as it sounded a bit crap on the clip of Broderick’s “I Wanna Be A Producer”, which is one of the best songs in the show.

Anyway, yes. Have a look at the trailer if you’re interested. There’s no question that this will be a hit - it would have been no matter what, given the insane success of the stage show. But from the looks of things - it might just be a good ‘un.