Finally emerging from years of failed attempts to make it, the latest take on mentorship/relationship drama A Star Is Born is actually gearing up to shoot. Bradley Cooper is directing and starring, and has Ray Liotta in talks to join the cast.
Cooper already has Lady Gaga playing the ingenue singer whose rise to fame runs in the opposite direction to her mentor and sometime lover (Cooper), a fading talent. Gaga will be writing and performing new music for the movie. As for Liotta, his role wasn't specified.
This will be just the latest version of the story, which was brought to the screen in 1937, 1954 and 1976. Cooper has worked on the script with Will Fetters and is ready to make his directorial debut. And in a further statement of confidence, Warner Bros. has handed down a release date for the movie, pencilling in 28 September, 2018. Could the studio be seeing this one as a potential awards release? The 1976, after all, scored four Oscar nominations, resulting in Barbra Streisand and Paul Williams going home with the gong for best original song...