Aaron Sorkin is still riding high from the six Oscar nominations his latest film, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” has received, including for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. But that doesn’t mean he’s slowing down. In fact, it appears that he’s already beginning production on his upcoming Amazon film, “Being the Ricardos,” and Sorkin is filling out the remainder of the ensemble cast that will tell the behind the scenes story of “I Love Lucy” and the iconic stars of the sitcom.
According to Amazon, J.K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, and Clark Gregg have all joined the cast of Aaron Sorkin’s “Being the Ricardos.” These cast members join already-announced leads Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem, who have signed on to play Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, respectively. As mentioned, the film is going to tell the behind-the-scenes struggle of the “I Love Lucy” stars over the course of one week, as they deal with crises that not only could end their careers but perhaps even their marriage.
“‘Being the Ricardos’ is a drama about the people behind the making of television’s most famous comedy. I’m looking forward to working with Nicole, Javier, J.K., Nina, and the rest of our great cast,” said Sorkin.
Executive producer Lucie Arnaz added, “My brother Desi and I signed on because this is a story of our folk’s real-life passionate, tempestuous and complicated relationship and not a recreation of ‘I Love Lucy’ – no one could do that. We felt exploring that relationship could be an enlightening challenge. We asked Amazon for the best and we got it with every hire. Aaron Sorkin has not told this tale as a ‘cradle to grave’ biopic. Instead, he’s chosen to illuminate a snippet of time during an incredibly intense period of their show’s enduring success. The casting choices have all been inspired and Desi and I are so looking forward to seeing what this impressive group of actors make of Sorkin’s delicious script.”
In the film, Simmons and Arianda will star opposite Kidman and Bardem as Lucy and Desi’s “I Love Lucy” co-stars William Frawley and Vivian Vance. Hale is set to portray “I Love Lucy” executive producer and head writer Jess Oppenheimer, along with Shawkat and Lacy as the show’s longtime writing partners, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
As mentioned, production on Sorkin’s latest has just begun, meaning we could possibly see this film sneak in before the end of this year, though a festival debut in 2022 sounds a bit more likely.