A year ago (15) actor John Travolta revealed to US news show Extra he had discussed the movie with Barbra and at the time of their conversation she was keen to cast Lady Gaga as other leading character Louise, modelled after Gypsy herself.
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STX Entertainment is taking on the task of reviving Gypsy for the big screen, with Barbra Streisand still attached to star as Momma Rose and Barry Levinson aboard to direct Richard LaGravenese’s script, which Streisand also is involved in. “It’s Barbra Streisand doing one more, if not the last, movie musical of her career”, he told Variety, adding that Gypsy was “one of the most famous and satisfying musicals ever”. It had been developing Gypsy for several years, stretching back to STX chairman Adam Fogelson’s days as the movie studio’s head. The musical, whose book was written by Arthur Laurents and featured a score from Jules Styne and a young Stephen Sondheim, is also highly regarded as one of the best.
The 1959 musical was adapted into a film version in 1962 starring Rosalind Russell as Mama Rose.
Bette Midler played the role in a three-hour TV version for CBS in 1993, was nominated for an Emmy and won a Golden Globe.
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As for the upcoming Streisand version, Fogelson said he has “a vision for how to turn it into a motion picture event”.
