Bradley Cooper To Helm 'A Star Is Born' Remake As Directorial Debut

Hollywood star Bradley Cooper is currently in talks with Warner Bros. to direct the third remake of the musical “A Star Is Born.” The redo, based on William Wellman’s 1937 film starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, will serve as Cooper’s directorial debut should the deal push through.

The musical centers on a fading movie star who helps an aspiring actress achieve her dreams of stardom, as age and alcohol abuse send his own career spiraling downwards. Warner Bros. had been working on a remake for years, targeting Cooper, who starred as war veteran Chris Kyle in “American Sniper,” to play the male lead role and "Sniper" director Clint Eastwood to direct the film. Pop sensation Beyonce was also attached to star as the hopeful young lady, but left the project when she got pregnant, while Eastwood put it on hold for “Jersey Boys,” IBN Live reported.

"A Star Is Born” had been previously remade twice before – the first being directed by William A. Wellman, which came out in 1954 starring Judy Garland and James Mason, and the second, starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, directed by Frank Pierson. Both remakes have been nominated for a slew of awards in the Grammys and the Golden Globe, and even won some of them.

Cooper will be producing the new remake through “22 Green,” his Warners-based banner he shares with Todd Phillipps. Jon Peters, Billy Gerber, and Basil Iwanyk will also co-produce the remake. According to Deadline, Cooper will also take a pass at the script, which was most recently drafted by Will Fetters, and is expected to revise it as soon as he finishes performing “The Elephant Man” in its London transfer from Broadway.

As of the moment, it is still unclear if Cooper will star in the film or if Beyonce will rejoin the project. Meanwhile, Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale have all been rumored to be considered for the lead role.

Cooper starred in last year’s Oscar-nominated “American Sniper,” which earned more than $520 million worldwide, garnering the title of top-grossing U.S. movie of 2014. This was considered a remarkable feat for an R-rated war film that was budgeted below $60 million. Cooper, represented by CAA, has since then continued to build a strong relationship with Warner Bros. He will also star in upcoming films David O. Russell’s “Joy,” John Wells’ “Adam Jones” and Cameron Crowe’s “Aloha.”

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