After Beyonce backed out of a Star is Born last October, Clint Eastwood’s musical aspirations stalled. But ContactMusic says he has his eye on the Tony award-winning Broadway show Jersey Boys.
The director is reportedly set to take the musical – based around the career of vocal group Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – to the big screen after casting issues have put his next project, ‘A Star is Born’, on hold.
Although Eastwood’s representatives and studio Warner Bros are playing their cards close to their chest, The Hollywood Reporter says multiple sources have confirmed the director is in talks to make the film.
The project was originally set up at Columbia Pictures with ‘Iron Man’ director Jon Favreau favourite to helm, but producer Graham King moved it to Warner Bros in September last year.
‘Jersey Boys’ has been a big hit on Broadway since it opened in 2005, winning four Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
John Logan has adapted the screenplay and the soundtrack features hits including ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, ‘Sherry’ and ‘Rag Doll’. Valli himself will act as executive producer, alongside Bob Gaudio, who wrote the music for the stage version.
If Eastwood does direct, it will be his first time behind the camera since 2011’s ‘J. Edgar’, although he starred in baseball movie ‘Trouble with the Curve’ last year.
If he does make ‘Jersey Boys’ it is unlikely he will also appear in the film, as Eastwood feels his days of both directing and starring are over after 2008’s ‘Gran Torino’.
He said last year: ”After ‘Gran Torino’, I thought, ‘This is stupid, to be doing both jobs.’ I’ve only been doing it for 40-some years. Maybe I should just do one or the other and allow myself a little bit of a comfort zone.”
