Late in the afternoon yesterday, the oddest pairing of talent came together to push a high profile remake forward. Deadline broke a story claiming that Oscar winner Clint Eastwood will direct Beyoncé Knowles in the fourth remake of A Star Is Born for Warner Bros. Pictures.
For those lacking knowledge of film history, the story centers on a young Hollywood hopeful who’s assisted by an aging alcoholic has-been whose best days in the industry are behind him. Legendary performances were given from the stars of the various versions of the film, including Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand, James Mason and Kris Kristofferson. This time around we’ve got a modern musical icon in the role of the young fame seeker, while the over-the-hill leading man will likely soon be cast. The source notes that this is a part that nearly every A-list or age-appropriate actor in the business, from Robert Downey Jr. to Johnny Depp to George Clooney to Jon Hamm, could potentially seek out.
Though it seems an odd choice for director Eastwood, his musical background makes him one of the very best filmmakers for the job. Forgetting the fact that he’s a longtime Warner Bros. contributor, he’s also an accomplished musician who has scored many of his own films, from Million Dollar Baby to Gran Torino, and has made quite a few movies with a focus on music, including his 1971 directorial debut Play Misty For Me and 1988’s Bird, a biopic of jazz great Charlie Parker. I’ve watched Eastwood evolve for the better as a filmmaker over the last decade, taking on everything from science fiction (Space Cowboys) to war epics (Flags Of Our Fathers) to supernatural dramas (Changeling). With A Star Is Born, the 80-year-old auteur will continue to reinvent himself in his sixth decade in the movie business.
Source: Deadline
