For his directorial debut, you gotta given Bradley Cooper some credit for swinging for the fences. He’s behind the camera for Warner Bros. long developing remake of “A Star Is Born” and not only is he behind the camera, he’s in front of it too. If that’s not enough Lady Gaga is taking co-starring role, and writing and performing original songs for the film too. Initially, the studio had awards season stars in their eyes, slating the film to be released on September 28, 2018 but now they’re changing course a bit.
“A Star Is Born” has been moved up to May 18, 2018 where it will stand as some summer season counter-programming. Certainly, the weekend doesn’t have much in the way of competition with Sony‘s “Slenderman” landing and a new movie from Laika (which is for a different audience anyway). Moreover the date is just two days before next year’s Cannes Film Festival wraps up on May 20th, and you can bet Thierry Fremaux will want Lady Gaga on the red carpet. I can definitely see some kind of Out Of Competition screening happening.
In the film, Cooper plays Jackson Maine, a country music star who is on the brink of decline when he discovers a talented unknown named Ally (Gaga aka Stefani Germanotta). As the two begin a passionate love affair, Jack coaxes Ally into the spotlight, catapulting her to stardom. But as Ally’s career quickly eclipses his own, Jack finds it increasingly hard to handle his fading glory.
Co-starring Andrew Dice Clay and Sam Elliott, it’ll be interesting to see if audiences want this kind of story during greasy popcorn season. [Variety]