Bradley Cooper to Make Directorial Debut with 'A Star Is Born' Reboot
Bradley Cooper, 40, best known for starring in such films as American Sniper, American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook, the Hangover movie series, and the Guardians of the Galaxy where he voiced and did the voice work for the CGI Rocket Raccoon character, is in talks with Warner Bros. to make his directing debut on the long-gestating A Star is Born reboot.
Cooper is also expected to star in the third remake of the 1937 classic, as well as produce through his Warners-based 22 Green company with partner Todd Phillips. The 1937 original was directed by William A. Wellman and starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. It was remade in 1954 under James Mason's direction and starred Judy Garland and James Mason. Another remake was released in 1976 and it was directed by Frank Pierson starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.
According to Deadline, once the deal between the studio and Cooper is done, their first stop will be to re-approach Beyonce to play the title role. When Clint Eastwood was going to helm the remake back in 2011, Beyonce was already attached for that role. But she got pregnant, so Eastwood moved on to other projects. In a statement to E!News, Beyonce said: "I was looking forward to the production of A Star Is Born and the opportunity to work with Clint Eastwood. For months we tried to coordinate our schedules to bring this remake to life but it was just not possible."
Cooper will next be seen on the big-screen on David O. Russell's Joy, John Wells' Adam Jones and Cameron Crowe's Aloha. He is also producing his partner Phillips' next directorial project, Arms and the Dudes which is now filming. Cooper is expected to begin working on the A Star is Born remake project once once he wraps up his gig at the theatrical production of "Elephant Man" wherein he stars as the tragic John Merrick.