Bradley Cooper’s planned directing debut, a remake of “A Star Is Born,” has fallen through after his rumored co-star Beyoncé wanted too much money for the role.
Warner Bros. was negotiating with “American Sniper” star Cooper to direct and star in the remake of the 1950s musical. Beyoncé was being lined up to play the lead, a young woman whose dreams of stardom are helped by an aging icon.
But one Hollywood source tells Page Six, “Beyoncé wanted too much money, and Warner Bros. balked at her price. The production budget was also said to be an issue with the studio, so the project has fallen apart.”
However, a different source claimed, “Bradley has started reading scripts for his next acting project. But the ‘Star Is Born’ project remains in development and Bradley is still involved.”
A third source added, “This project is something Bradley has been involved with for a long time. It has gone on the back burner, but he’s still working on it, among other projects.”
Cooper has his own production company, 22nd & Green, with Todd Phillips under the Warner umbrella.
The remake of the classic 1954 Judy Garland musical made by Warner Bros. — itself a remake of a 1937 film that starred Fredric March and Janet Gaynor — has been floated around Hollywood since 2011. There was also a 1976 version, which starred Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand and was panned by most critics.
Back in 2011, Clint Eastwood was set to direct, and Beyoncé’s name was first mentioned as the female lead. Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Christian Bale and Leonardo DiCaprio were reportedly circling as the male lead, but the movie kept being delayed.
In 2014, Cooper — who’s been thinking of directing for some time — picked the project as his directorial debut, following the success of “American Sniper,” also made with Warner Bros.
Reps for Warner Bros. and Cooper didn’t comment, and a Beyoncé rep didn’t get back to us.