Oscar-winning talents will soon combine, as Our Cate™ is set to star as none other than the ineffable Lucille Ball—in a biopic penned by Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, Social Network, The Newsroom)—according to The Wrap.
Blanchett will lead Escape Artists, chronicling the twenty years of Ball’s marriage with I Love Lucy co-star Desi Arnaz.
Say what you will about Aaron Sorkin’s wit and tendency to render dialogue only for the most-skilled, dexterous tongues; the screenwriter’s track-record of writing for and commenting on women in Hollywood isn’t the cleanest out there. The decision to have Sorkin bring one of Hollywood’s most fiery comedians to life on screen has since been copping heat on Twitter.
Sorkin feels like a weird fit for Lucille Ball. Her story doesn’t scream angry male energy.
— Dorothy Pomerantz (@DorothyPWrites) September 2, 2015
Does Aaron Sorkin even KNOW how to write a movie focused on a woman?
— Toni McIntyre (@ToniMacAttack) September 2, 2015
Aaron Sorkin to write a well-meaning but ultimately condescending portrait of Lucille Ball, like any actor with a vagina he’s written for.
— Shaun of the etc. (@ShaunoftheHand) September 2, 2015
Aaron Sorkin is writing a Lucille Ball biopic, huh? Yeah, because he did so great with the female characters in THE NEWSROOM. #NeverForget
— Sam Cohen (@CineTalksSam) September 2, 2015
Aaron Sorkin is writing a Lucille Ball biopic. He has some mansplaining to do.
— Louis Virtel (@louisvirtel) September 2, 2015
Ball and Arnaz’s children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. are set to produce the biopic based on their parents.
Considering Cate Blanchett’s physical incapability of doing wrong, her portrayal of Lucille Ball could well garner a second Oscar nod in as many years, if Blanchett does—as highly predicted—garner a nomination for Todd Haynes’ critically-acclaimed Carol, debuting in cinemas later this year.
via The Wrap.
