Lady Gaga Tapped for Bradley Cooper’s ‘A Star Is Born’ Remake
Lady Gaga will star in, compose and perform new music for a remake of the classic musical, A Star Is Born, Deadline reports. The film will also feature Bradley Cooper making his directorial debut and co-starring alongside Gaga.
The film marks Lady Gaga‘s first major role in a feature film, though she’s accumulated numerous acting credits over the years with turns in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Machete Kills and American Horror Story, for which she won a Golden Globe.
This remake of A Star Is Born has been in the works for several years and originally featured Clint Eastwood as director and Beyoncé in the starring role. However, the pop star’s pregnancy and schedule eventually forced her to drop out of the picture and the project stalled.
Cooper eventually began eyeing the movie for his directorial debut and inked a deal with Warner Bros. to take over in 2015. After being unable to lock down Beyoncé again, Cooper set his sights on Lady Gaga, who impressed Warner Bros. executives with a screen test alongside the actor.
Along with his directorial duties, Cooper is writing the script with Will Fetters (The Best of Me, The Lucky One). Production is set to begin early 2017.
Cooper’s remake of A Star Is Born will be the fourth since the movie premiered in 1937. The basic story centers around a failing performer who helps launch the career of an aspiring star. The 1937 original was directed by David O. Selznick and starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, while Judy Garland and James Mason starred in the definitive 1954 version. Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, meanwhile, appeared in a 1976 version of the film.