Everything may still be coming up roses after all for Barbra Streisand as after years ‘in development’ which is Hollywood politesse for ‘sitting on the shelf in some studio head’s office gathering dust’, she may get to film her version of the famous musical Gypsy after all.
Downton Abbey’s creator Julian Fellows was commissioned to write a script for Barbra back in 2012 but then that was put on hold after the death of Arthur Laurents the co-creator of the original show/movie. Now Stephen Sondheim who composed the songs for the musical has sole approval of the director and star of any re-make and evidently he has approved Babs who wants to do both.
Now Universal Studios have hired Richard LaGravenese to write a new script and as he had penned ‘The Mirror has Two Faces’ for La Streisand he obviously knows how to keep the Diva happy. (Incidentally he also wrote HBO’s award-winning Liberace biopic ‘Behind the Candelabra).
One tiny (?) possible drawback is the fact that it has been 31 years since Babs last directed and starred in a musical namely YENTL, and now she’s reached the grand old age of 72 years, so they may need to think about changing her character from Mama Rose to Grandma Rose.
Watch this space…