Way back in the spring of 2009, Anne Hathaway became attached to an adaptation of Gerald Clarke‘s “Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland” gestating at The Weinstein Company. The biography is considered as one of the definitive works on the tragic singer’s life where she battled drug addiction, a horrifying stage mother, multiple marriages and infidelity all while becoming one of the biggest stars in the world. Word of the movie was announced and then sort of disappeared, but it looks like development is still moving forward on the project.
Speaking with BBC Radio Four’s Front Row the actress revealed that the project is still definitely on the horizon, though it’s one that everyone involved wants to make sure is done properly. “It’s a very sensitive project and there have been so many stories told about her life that we’re really trying to get it right,” she said. “So we’ve taking our time with it. I know it seems like it’s sort of an endless process but it’s very, very slow incremental steps. I had a meeting about it a couple of weeks ago and we’re all very motivated.”
Hathaway said that she hopes that production starts within the next two years and that while the plan is still for her to do the singing in the film, fan expectations to hear the original voice of Garland may be a factor. “I certainly don’t sing like Judy Garland but the talk is to have me do the singing. But I think people might cry murder if they don’t get to hear Judy’s beloved voice so the talk is for me to sing but I don’t know if that’s exactly what will happen.”
Garland’s story is one of the saddest of any of the golden era’s biggest stars and seems like some great material for a big screen story. We’re glad no one is rushing this one into production and we have high hopes that this one will do right by the star.