When you think of “A Star Is Born,” currently on Netflix, you automatically think of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s emotionally moving performances. The latter also made his directorial debut with the romantic drama about two music stars, played by him and Gaga.
Not only was the film a huge success with critics, it also grossed more than twelve times its $36 million budget at the worldwide box office. And that doesn’t even include the millions in revenue from streaming and haptic imaging media for home theater.
So it’s no surprise that Netflix gave Cooper creative carte blanche when he agreed to direct another musical drama, this time directly for the streaming service: “Maestro,” the recently released biopic about conducting genius Leonard Bernstein that features the “Hangover” and “Silver Linings’. ‘ star in the title role and again in the director’s chair.
But It almost didn’t happen that Cooper was able to prove with “A Star Is Born” that he was absolutely capable, not only in front of the camera but also behind it. In fact, someone completely different was intended for the production, a Hollywood legend who has proven to be an exceptional talent for decades. And Cooper’s scene partner at this point would be a woman who was just as world famous, but very different from Lady Gaga.
Cast chaos in front of and behind the camera
Bill Gerber (“Moonage Daydream”, “The Last Face”), the producer of “A Star Is Born”, recently spoke with the American trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter about the making of the film. He reported that he had a very specific man in mind to direct what was already the third Hollywood remake of the 1937 original starring Janet Gaynor and Frederic March: Clint Eastwood, with whom Gerber had already successfully collaborated on “Gran Torino.”
At the beginning of our millennium, discussions had already been held with Steven Spielberg and Oliver Stone, but after that they tried to finalize the casting for a long time. Will Smith, Jamie Foxx and Paul Walker were discussed for the male part of the former star, who struggled with drugs and alcohol. The female lead role as an extremely talented newcomer was reserved for, among others, R&B singers Aaliyah, Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys. But no agreement was reached with any of them and plans for “A Star Is Born” were put on hold for the time being.
When Gerber won Eastwood over for the project around 2011, it finally took off again. Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp and Will Smith were again considered as possible cast members. Eastwood was keen to cast jazz musician Esperanza Spalding in the female role, while Gerber and Universal Studios, who financed the venture, Best Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Shakira, Janelle Monae, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato or Kesha would have had there. Ultimately, they were able to agree on Eastwood’s “American Sniper” star Bradley Cooper as Jack and pop megastar Beyoncé as Ally.
Bradley Cooper comes to the rescue
The script was ready and initial preparations for filming were made when Beyoncé informed production that she was pregnant and would not be available on the scheduled dates. While Gerber was still wondering whether to fall back on one of the alternative candidates mentioned or whether it would be better to wait a few years for Beyoncé, Eastwood then dropped out of the trial. The veteran had decided to watch another musical film instead of ‘A Star Is Born’, namely ‘Jersey boys“, realize.
Suddenly Gerber was again without a director and leading actress – his project was ultimately in danger of failure. That changed when Bradley Cooper told him about his own directing ambitions. After several detailed discussions, the producer was convinced that the crowd favorite, who was voted ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ in 2011, was up to the task. Especially because, in addition to some suggestions for script changes, he also had a somewhat unconventional but certainly appealing idea for casting the essential female role. Quickly arranged test recordings with Cooper and pop diva Lady Gaga (“Joker 2”) convinced everyone involved. The rest is (Oscar) history…
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