There are some movies that you hear about in the news all the time, but they never seem to go anywhere (um, “Ghostbusters 3,” anyone?). Now, it appears that Oscar-heavyweight and empty-chair-embracing Clint Eastwood’s remake of “A Star is Born” is the latest casualty to fall into the abyss of development hell – and he might have a former Destiny’s Child to blame.
For the past few years, it had been rumored that Eastwood’s update of the classic had snagged none other than the girl with the golden voice herself, Beyonce; filming had originally been scheduled to start in February 2012. However, cameras never rolled – you may have heard, Beyonce got pregnant – and unfortunately for Dirty Harry, his muse has now been forced to drop out due to “scheduling issues.”
According to our friends over at Collider, the actress/singer who made such a splash when she graced the screen in the 2006 Oscar-winning film “Dreamgirls” was reportedly forced to pass on the role in order to commit to other projects with confirmed start dates. In short: Beyonce says that Eastwood liked it, but he never put a ring on it.
Rumor now has it that Eastwood is eyeing Grammy-winning jazz musician Esperanza Spalding to possibly take on the role.
Beyonce’s exit is not the first speed-bump the production has encountered, as it has failed to secure its leading man despite courting some serious Hollywood heavy-hitters, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, and Bradley Cooper. In denial of his potential involvement in the project, Cooper shot down the whole concept, saying “there are like three versions already.” Touché, Mr. Cooper, you do speak the truth. “A Star is Born” first graced the screens in 1937, with the more popular Judy Garland-starring version following in 1954, which was then succeeded by the 1976 Barbra Streisand yarn. And that’s not even counting the “Star” rip-offs ranging wildly from “Glitter” and “Burlesque” to “The Artist” and “Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star.”
Despite it being old and familiar territory, Eastwood – who has won 2 Best Director Oscars for 1992’s “Unforgiven” and 2005’s “Million Dollar Baby,” does not seem swayed from making his passion project a reality. With no confirmed casting or start date though, it’s fair to say this one may end up staying in Tinseltown purgatory for quite some time.