I think I’ve made it pretty clear during my time here at MovieBuzzers that I’m a huge Clint Eastwood fan — whether he is in front of or behind the camera (or both!) A few days ago a huge story broke about Eastwood‘s next film, after he finishes work on J. Edgar, that created a bit of a stir: according to Deadline, Eastwood will direct pop star/sometimes actress Beyoncé in a remake of the 1937 classic A Star Is Born for Warner Bros. (which would be the third remake after the 1954 version starring Judy Garland and the 1976 version starring Barbara Stresiand). Hit “more” for the few details that have been released, along with my comments on the controversy…
The film’s story, for those of you who haven’t seen any of the versions, involves a burned-out alcoholic actor helping a young actress (usually one who can sing) to become famous as they fall in love. The particulars, of course, have varied in each version. So while there’s a bit of an outrage that Hollywood is yet again remaking another classic, there are so many possible variations on this story that I really doubt that Eastwood would have signed on for a straight remake. I imagine that a lot could depend on who is signed to play the alcoholic actor — there’s a strong possibility of undercurrents of racism to be seen in the film if a white actor is cast opposite Beyoncé, which brings something totally different to the film’s story that I am sure most would welcome. Suggestions that Eastwood would be starring are, I think, not only totally unfounded but completely ridiculous, since Eastwood has made it clear that he doesn’t see himself acting again after his captivating performance in Gran Torino.
Obviously this version will be a musical, but there’s no word whether it would feature new songs or songs from the previous versions. I can’t say I’m the type of guy who listens to Beyoncé‘s music (I couldn’t name five songs of hers if you asked me to), but I know she has the vocal chops to pull off just about anything. I am a bit concerned about her relative ability to carry a big budget picture with her acting, and I feel that will be the real test of this film’s success. I am also concerned that Will Fetters, who is writing the screenplay, isn’t experienced enough to handle such a major studio film (his only credits are Remember Me, the Robert Pattinson film that doesn’t have Twilight in the title, and the upcoming Zac Efron drama The Lucky One due out in 2012).
Of course, knowing what Spike Lee has said in the past about Eastwood‘s lack of African-American soldiers in his film Flags of Our Fathers, I wonder if he’ll say anything about this project?
What are your thoughts on this major story? Do you think the Eastwood/Beyoncé pairing could be a success, or is it a recipe for remake disaster? Let us know in the comments!
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