Brie Larson flew onto everyone’s radar with “Short Term 12,” and while a handful of smaller roles followed in pictures like “The Gambler” and this summer’s “Trainwreck,” she once again gets a showcase part in the upcoming “Room.” The wrenching drama will wring more than a few tears from audiences and the actress is using that momentum to book another promising gig.
Variety reports that Larson has replaced Emma Stone on “Battles Of The Sexes,” with the latter bowing out due to scheduling issues. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris are directed the movie, penned by “Slumdog Millionaire” and “127 Hours” scribe Simon Beaufoy, with Danny Boyle producing, about the 1973 Battles Of The Sexes tennis match between the 29-year-old, number two-ranked Billie Jean King, and the retired, sorta boorish champ Bobby Riggs.
There are some competing projects about the same subject matter — Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti are slated to star in an HBO movie, while Will Ferrell also has a feature brewing — but this one seems to be in the pole position. And frankly, this is the pairing that sounds most enticing to me.