Bradley Cooper to make directing debut, hopes to star with Beyonce

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS:Warner Brosis negotiating with itsAmerican SniperstarBradley Cooperto make his feature directorial debut on the remake ofA Star Is Born, Armenpress reports, citing Deadline. The hope is for Cooper also to star in the film. Once his deal is done, their first stop will be toBeyonce, whoonce was positioned to play the roleof the young woman whose dreams of stardom are helped by a self-destructive icon whose best days are behind him. She was circling when Clint Eastwood was going to helmthe remake, and the director discussed that male lead role with Cooper. She hasn’t yet been re-approached formally. Cooper will take a pass at the script with Will Fetters, who wrote the most recent draft, and the hope is that he can get into this wholeheartedly when he finishes performingThe Elephant Manin its London transfer from Broadway.

He also will become a producer on this through Warners-based 22 Green, the banner he shares with Todd Phillips. Jon Peters, Billy Gerber and Basil Iwanyk also are producers. Cooper is coming off a double Oscar nomination forAmerican Sniper,which has surpassed $528 million worldwide and growing, remarkable for an R-rated war film that cost $58 million to produce. There is some symmetry to these two films. When Steven Spielberg dropped out of American Sniper,Warner Bros worldwide production President Greg Silverman told Cooper that Eastwood was reading the book for recreation. Cooper was able to call Eastwood directly because of the relationship they developed when Eastwood offered Cooper that male lead inA Star Is Born.

First directed by William Wellman in a 1937 film that starred Fredrick March and Janet Gaynor,A Star Is Bornwas first made at Warner Bros in 1954 with a George Cukor-directed film that starred Judy Garland and James Mason and then was done in 1976 with Frank Pierson directing Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand. This long has been a priority at Warner Bros, with leading men such asWill Smith, Tom Cruise, Leonardo Di Caprio and Christian Bale all circling at some point. Beyonce has been most often mentioned for that female lead, and really, how can you beat that? She’s displayed her acting chops in films that includedAustin Powers In Gold member,and her singing creates an opportunity not really seen since Warner Bros’The Bodyguardwith Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner.