Here is a riddle: how do you launch a major remake of a beloved modern classic (which was, of course, itself a remake of a remake of a remake) without a female star, a male star, or a start date? Well, in Hollywood, you just keep saying that it will happen.
Warner Bros.’ remake of A Star Is Born has had a hell of a time making it to the big screen. Most notably conceived of as a Clint Eastwood directing vehicle and a Beyonce Knowles-starring dazzlefest, the production has been unable to lock down a male lead (remember when Tom Cruise was rumored? those were the days!), has had to reschedule after the one-two punch of Knowles’ pregnancy and Eastwood’s work on Trouble With the Curve, and now they’re facing their biggest challenge yet.
Knowles? Yeah, she’s done with it. Variety reports that the actress/singer/prolific dancer has now left the project because “her schedule was already packed and that without a start date the scheduling became too complicated.” That does sound pretty complicated.
The outlet also reports that, with Knowles now off the project, attention will turn more squarely on locking a male lead, as “no discussions or offers will be out to the female lead” until a male star is finally (finally) set in stone. Other names that have been tossed around in the past include Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, and Bradley Cooper. Variety does not that “there is no offer out to Cooper at this time, [but] there’s still a possibility he could come onboard.” Surely, there’s a possibility for anything to happen at this point.
Interestingly, the outlet does also reveal that Eastwood has an interest in one possible female lead ‐ jazz musician Esperanza Spalding. Spalding is both not a household name nor an actress, but she is a Grammy Award winner ‐ she won the Best New Artist award in 2011, beating out such better-known acts as Drake, Florence + The Machine, Mumford and Sons, and, oh yeah, Justin Bieber.