Beyonce, singer supremo, mother, and the only person on earth who can make Jay-Z miss his performance cues , has walked away from upcoming remake A Star Is Born .
As yet Warner Bros have made no official comment, but Variety claim the singer’s schedule and lack of start date for the film are the reasons for her shock departure.
After Variety’s announcement, Beyonce later released a statement that read:
“I was looking forward to … 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. Hopefully in the future we will get a chance to work together.”
The Eastwood helmed film has struggled to find a male lead for the role of the fading consort to a female star. Despite rumors that Eastwood is interested in 27-year-old jazz multi-instrumentalist Esperanza Spaulding as a replacement, insiders say before any moves are made to lock in a female lead the priority now is finding the male.
At one time, possibles included Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise and, more recently, Bradley Cooper. While there is no offer on the table for Cooper, sources say the All About Steve star is still a contender.
But with Cooper filming The Hangover III and about to segue into David Russell’s as yet untitled picture, his schedule is also becoming crowded.
For the moment, then, A Star Is Born is starless. For those that can’t wait until Eastwood and Warner Bros shift gears on their remake, there are four existing versions to remedy that. All of them, variations on a theme of love between a creative couple at different places in their careers and artistic power — and the fatal destruction that difference wreaks.
The first, What Price Hollywood in 1932, the second(but first to be called) A Star Is Born following in 1937, the third — and for many, the definitive — 1954 Judy Garland vehicle with James Mason, and the fourth, the 1976 rock-pop-show-tune extravaganza with Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.
Beyonce may have walked away, but a grand old Hollywood story hasn’t. It will be interesting to see what develops in the interim.
