Barbra Streisand has directed as many feature films (Yentl, Prince of Tides and The Mirror Has Two Faces) as she has concerts/documentaries, but now she aims to tip the scales by returning to the director's chair for the epic love story, Skinny and Cat.  Penned by Linda Yellen, Skinny and Cat tells of the true romance between author Erskine Caldwell and Margaret Bourke White, a photojournalist.  Colin Firth (The King's Speech) and Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) are set to star in what will be Streisand's first feature film in 16 years.  Hit the jump for more on Skinny and Cat.

The Playlist reports that Skinny and Cat is still raising funds, but should start filming in January.  The picture further tells of the relatively short marriage of Caldwell and Bourke-White, as well as their collaboration on a number of books.  "You Have Seen Their Faces" is a photographic survey of the South during the Great Depression (and makes a much better movie title in my humble opinion).  "North of the Danube" and "Say, Is This the U.S.A.?" are two of their other collaborative works.

Most recently, Streisand was attached to star in a remake of the Broadway musical, Gypsy, to be written by Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey).  Blanchett will next be seen in both Hobbit films, both upcoming Terrence Malick films (Knight of Cups and Lawless) and an as-of-yet untitled Woody Allen picture.  Firth can be seen in this fall's Gambit, followed by The Railway Man and Devil's Knot next year.  Odd name aside, Skinny and Cat should have appeared as an early blip on your Oscar radar simply for the track record and pedigree of all involved.  Keep an eye on this one.