Rising star Brie Larson is in talks to play Billie Jean King in Fox Searchlight’s “Battle of the Sexes,” Variety has learned.
Steve Carell is currently set to play Bobby Riggs in the tennis drama. Larson would replace Emma Stone, who had to pass on the role due to a scheduling conflict.
“Little Miss Sunshine” filmmakers Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris will direct from a script by Simon Beaufoy. Danny Boyle is producing under his Decibel Films banner along with Christian Colson and his company Cloud Eight.
The story of King and Riggs became a zeitgeist event back in 1973, when the 29-year-old No. 2 ranked female star rose to the challenge and beat the 55-year-old retired former Wimbledon champion Riggs.
“Battle of the Sexes” is one of three projects revolving around the infamous tennis match, the other two being the HBO and Playtone pic “Proof” that has Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti starring and Chernin Entertainment and Gary Sanchez’s “Match Maker” with Steve Conrad writing and Will Ferrell attached to play Riggs.
Larson, who last year broke out with indie hit “Short Term 12,” is red hot after her new film “Room” debuted to Oscar buzz at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals. She also has the female lead in “Kong: Skull Island” and just wrapped the Ben Wheatley drama “Free Fire.”
Allstar wrote:Brie keeps rising and is a much better actress than Stone.
what could possibly have incited this
Try reading at least the second line of the article.
Steve Carell is currently set to play Bobby Riggs in the tennis drama. Larson would replace Emma Stone, who had to pass on the role due to a scheduling conflict.
Oscar-nominated actress Emma Stone is now set to play Billie Jean King opposite Steve Carell as Bobby Riggs in Fox Searchlight’s “Battle of the Sexes” after briefly walking away from the project, TheWrap has learned.
Stone attached herself to play King back in April, though a scheduling conflict forced Fox Searchlight to approach Brie Larson to play the tennis legend as recently as September. With Larson moving on to replace Jennifer Lawrence in “The Glass Castle,” her schedule no longer allowed for “Battle of the Sexes,” and Fox Searchlight went back to Stone to secure the actress’ participation.
“Little Miss Sunshine” filmmakers Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris will direct from a script by Simon Beaufoy. Danny Boyle will produce under his Decibel Films banner along with Christian Colson and his company Cloud Eight.
The tone of the film is expected to be comedic, though clearly the material covers dramatic political themes with regard to gender.
Andrea Riseborough is in final negotiations to co-star with Emma Stone in Fox Searchlight’s “Battle of the Sexes,” sources tell Variety.
Stone will play Billie Jean King in the pic and Steve Carell stars as Bobbie Riggs. Riseborough will play Marilyn Barnett, the hairdresser and former lover who outed King in 1981.
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris will direct from script by Simon Beaufoy. Danny Boyle is producing under his Decibel Films banner along with Christian Colson and his company Cloud Eight.
The competition between King and Riggs captured the zeitgeist back in 1973, when at 29, the No. 2 ranked King beat the 55-year-old retired former Wimbledon champion Riggs.
Sarah Silverman has joined the cast of Battle Of The Sexes, the Fox Searchlight pic about the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Emma Stone and Steve Carell are the leads.
Silverman, who attracted awards-season buzz (she landed a SAG Award nom) with her breakout role in the depression drama I Smile Back, is set to play Gladys Heldman. She was the founder of World Tennis magazine; she supported Billie Jean King and other female players who formed the Virginia Slims Tour in the early 1970s that was the precursor of today’s WTA Tour. She is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
Andrea Riseborough, Elizabeth Shue and Austin Stowall are also aboard the pic. Jonathan Faris and Valerie Dayton are directing from a script by Simon Beaufoy. Danny Boyle is producing through his Decibel Films, and Christian Colson through his Cloud Eight banner.
Silverman, who is next up co-starring in Universal’s Lonely Island spoof PopStar, is repped by UTA, Thruline Entertainment and Ziffren Brittanham.
“The Good Wife” star Alan Cumming has signed on to join Steve Carell and Emma Stone in Fox Searchlight’s “Battle of the Sexes,” an individual familiar with the project has told TheWrap.
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris are directing the film, which chronicles the Battle of the Sexes — the epic tennis match between Billie Jean King (Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Carell).
King was the second-best female tennis player in the world when she defeated former Wimbledon champion Riggs in an infamous 1973 match that brought Riggs out of retirement.
While Cumming’s role was not immediately disclosed, insiders suggest he may be playing Ted Tinling, the openly gay tennis player who designed King’s dress for the Battle of the Sexes and helped support her in coming out about her own sexuality.
Andrea Riseborough, Elizabeth Shue, Austin Stowell and Sarah Silverman co-star in the film, which was written by Simon Beaufoy (“Slumdog Millionaire”). Production is currently under way.
Cumming is a two-time Golden Globe nominee and three-time Emmy nominee who currently stars on “The Good Wife.” He voices Gutsy Smurf in Sony’s “Smurfs” franchise and next stars in the indie comedy “Hurricane Bianca.” He’s represented by CAA, Untitled Entertainment and Troika.
