'Star' remake has legs

Source: hollywoodreporter

Will Fetters tapped to pen draft of script

NEW YORK -- Warner Bros.' remake of "A Star Is Born" could finally be moving toward a due date.

The studio has hired up-and-coming writer Will Fetters to do a draft of the script with the aim of pushing the long-gestating project forward. A number of scribes have written previous drafts, including "Ali" writers Stephen Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson and "Notorious" scribe Reggie Rock Bythewood.

Jon Peters, Billy Gerber and Basil Iwanyk are producing the new take, with Courtenay Valenti overseeing for Warners.

"Star" centers on a showbiz ingenue who falls for an established male star, only to see their careers move in opposite directions.

Beyonce's name has surfaced in connection with the lead role, though the pop star is not officially involved at this point. Beyonce starred as a rags-to-riches pop star in "Dreamgirls."

Three previous versions of the project have been made, most recently in 1976, with Frank Pierson helming a version with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. That pic took the original Hollywood setting and re-set it in the music business. This version also will be set in the record industry.

Studio observers have said that the modern era of celebrity, with its 24-hour media coverage and scrutiny, makes the time ripe for a new "Star Is Born."

Fetters, repped by WME and Underground Management, is writing the Nicholas Sparks adaptation "The Lucky One" for Warners and also penned the Rob Pattinson-toplined drama "Remember Me" for Summit, which recently wrapped.