Actor to direct and star in musical remake with Beyoncé wanted as co-star

jonathan

March 25, 2015 12:54 PM

The classic movie musical follows a rising star who falls in love with an ageing rocker, only to watch her career take off as his goes into decline.

Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper is set to make his directorial debut with the long-planned remake of ‘A Star Is Born.’

According to Deadline, the American Sniper star is "negotiating" a deal with Warner Bros. to direct, produce and star in the film, which he was first linked to as an actor in 2012 when Clint Eastwood was attached to direct.Beyoncé, who was also attached to star in the film at one point but later dropped out, is said to be first choice to play its female lead, though she has yet to be "re-approached formally".

The classic movie musical follows a rising star who falls in love with an ageing rocker, only to watch her career take off as his goes into decline. The role of the ambitious female singer has previously been played on screen by Janet Gaynor in 1937, Judy Garland in 1954 and Barbra Streisand in 1976.The remake has a script by Will Fetters, whose previous screenwriting credits include Remember Me and The Lucky One. Back in March 2012, Fetters revealed that he has based the ageing rocker character on the late Kurt Cobain. He explained: "I approached A Star Is Born [imagining] if Kurt Cobain never got to go unplugged and survived and it's 20 years later and it's now, and he wanted to try to do that album with that understanding as this grunge icon. That'd be tough to get done if he was past his prime, no longer selling, how does he get that album?"

jonathan