Russell Crowe and Beyonce are now the frontrunners to lead Nick Cassavetes’ remake of “A Star Is Born,” according to 24 Frames.
The project has been in development at Warner Brothers for a while with the “dream” pairing of Beyonce and Will Smith previously falling through. The likes of Robert Downey Jr., Jon Hamm, Rihanna and Alicia Keys have also been linked to the project but Crowe and Beyonce are now evidently in line to lead the story of an aging, alcoholic musician on the downfall who begins a professional and personal relationship with an up and coming younger female star.
Crowe and Beyonce is certainly an odd and risky pairing but. If they were going to with a musically inclined Australian, surely Hugh Jackman could have been the go, especially based on his rapport with Beyonce from last year’s Oscar. But we guess, Crowe’s got the raw ruggedness to portray an alcoholic has-been which seems to be their aim (links to Downey Jr., Hamm and even Sean Penn). And while we’re at it, why Beyonce in the first place? Or the fixation on interracial leads? This will be interesting to say the least.
“A Star Is Born” has previously seen three iterations with the most popular being Judy Garland and James Mason’s musical pairing in 1954 and latest dramatic acting version starring Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson in 1976. It’s not yet known where Cassavetes’ version will thematic sit with the others or how it’ll go after the success of the similar themed “Crazy Heart” and the upcoming Gwenyth Paltrow-Garrett Hedlund starrer “Love Don’t Let Me Down.”