Repo! The Genetic Opera is a rock opera film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. Originally planned for an April 25 release date, it has since been reported that it will open with a limited release in 4 cities (Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Las Vegas) on November 7, 2008 with a DVD release to follow in January 2009. A 22-track soundtrack was released online on September 30, 2008, and another will be released in CD-format to coincide with the release of the DVD. The film is based on a play written and composed by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich. It received an R rating by the MPAA for strong bloody violence and gore, language, some drug and sexual content.
Cast
* Anthony Stewart Head as Nathan Wallace, a father to Shilo and a widower, having lost his wife Marni, a death which he blames himself for. He doubles as a legal assassin known as the Repo Man. (Note: The original stage production included acclaimed singer/musician Curtis Wilson as Nathan. He is also scheduled to have a cameo role in the film as the voice of a News Reporter.)
* Alexa Vega as Shilo Wallace, a young woman condemned to her room due to the blood disorder she inherited from her mother.
* Paul Sorvino as Rotti Largo, the dying president of GeneCo, looking for a worthy heir. He sees his own children as "vultures" and "ingrates", and is bitter towards Nathan for stealing Marni from him. Unknown to Nathan, Rotti killed Marni by poisoning her.
* Sarah Brightman as Blind Mag, born blind but given the ability to see by GeneCo at the price of having to sing for the GeneCo Genetic Opera. She is marked for repossession and she is set to deliver her final performance for the company.
* Paris Hilton as Amber Sweet, the surgery-addicted daughter of Rotti who is Mag's rival. She is addicted to Zydrate, a euphoric painkiller, which she obtains illegally from the Graverobber. The character's name was changed for the movie. Originally, the character was named Heather Sweet, but it was changed to distinguish from Dita von Teese, whose born name was Heather Sweet. Her appearance is always changing, and Paris Hilton had a new set of prosthetics for each scene. Originally, Darren Bousman refused to hold an audition for Paris Hilton. Once he gave in to the idea, she showed up and "rocked" the soundbooth audition.
* Bill Moseley as Luigi Largo, the eldest son of Rotti, described as being angry and abusive. He wields a knife at all times and is usually wearing an ascot. According to Darren Bousman, Luigi "walked around with a knife and a flask, drinking and stabbing everything that came in his way" in the stage play. In an interview, Bill Mosley stated "It’s very easy to just turn that character into a complete caricature; I mean almost a buffoon. It’s very interesting because its so outlandish. In order to anchor a character like that you really have to find out what makes him real. Certainly, there’s the sibling rivalry, which usually means there’s love for brother [and] sister but also a hatred. So, there’s whatever that balance is on whatever given day. There’s absolutely an idolizing of my father and yet, at the same time I’m no dummy, I can tell that he disapproves of me, so I’m fighting that losing battle of getting Dad’s approval. You start exploring some of those things, plus the fact that we’re all incredibly rich and above the law so we can really do anything we want. Plus whatever happened to Mom? You know, I still haven’t — you’re going to have to ask Terry Zdunich — I don’t think there’s a mom." Luigi's name in the stage play was Luci (and later Lucci), but, in an effort to avoid legal trouble with a Japanese clothing company called Largolucio, Lucci Largo was renamed Luigi Largo.
* Nivek Ogre as Pavi Largo, the younger son of Rotti, described as a vain, dim-witted, effeminate rapist and womanizer who wears women's faces as masks. His own face is horrendously scarred. One of Pavi's "flesh-masks" is modeled after Darren Bousman's girlfriend's face. His habit of wearing flesh-masks in the movie differs from previous versions of Pavi. In the comic panels for the stage play, as well as the 10-minute trailer, Pavi had an exaggerated face-lift that gave him a permanent grin.
* Terrance Zdunich as GraveRobber, a Zydrate-peddler with connections to Amber, sexually and as a dealer. He acts as a narrator of the post-apocalyptic world. Zdunich plays GraveRobber in all three incarnations of Repo! The Genetic Opera: the stage production, the 10-minute trailer, and the film.
* Sarah Power as Dead Marni, a ghostly projection of Shilo's deceased mother. Nancy Long sings as the character.
* Jake Reardon as Single Mother, a client of GeneCo who went in for a kidney replacement and got a full-body upgrade. Poe provides her voice.
* Darren Smith as Band Leader, the flamboyant maestro of the Genetic Opera.
