Well this is something. Nearly every day a new project gets announced in Hollywood with some combination of actor, writer, director, or producer attached to maybe possibly bring it to fruition someday. Many of these happen to be biopics, but few match the caliber of talent attached to the just-announced Lucille Ball biopic. Per The Wrap, Cate Blanchett is attached to star as the iconic comedian with Aaron Sorkin set to pen the screenplay. I mean, wow.

The project is reportedly set up at Escape Artists and will chronicle Ball’s 20-year marriage to Desi Arnaz, her I Love Lucy co-star whom she divorced in 1960. The film even seems to have the approval of the family, with Lucy Arnaz Jr. and Desi Arnaz Jr. onboard to produce.


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Image via The Weinstein Company

Ball is a true Hollywood icon so it makes sense that Blanchett—the actress whose incredible turn as screen legend Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator landed her her first Oscar—is the one to bring her to life onscreen. And Sorkin, a self-professed romantic with a fondness for classic cinema and television, is a swell fit to tell Ball’s story in screenplay form.

Sorkin is coming off writing another high-profile biopic, Steve Jobs, which puts a twist on the genre by chronicling the Apple innovator's life through just three major scenes set before three big product launches. In short, we can probably rest assured this untitled Lucille Ball biopic won’t be your standard cradle-to-grave drama. Sorkin won his first Oscar for scripting the new-classic The Social Network and just turned in his script for Molly’s Game to Sony, another true story film. He’s also attached to write an adaptation of Michael Lewis’ Wall Street drama Flash Boys, also for Sony.

As for Blanchett, she tops the list of Best Actress contenders for her turn in this fall’s drama Carol and also co-stars with Robert Redford in the Dan Rather drama Truth, also out this fall. In addition to her Aviator win, Blanchett won Best Actress in 2014 for Blue Jasmine.

A formidable duo indeed, I’m mighty curious to see how this project develops going forward. Here’s hoping it finds a smooth path to production with a director whose talent matches that of Blanchett and Sorkin.


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Image via CBS