Bradley Cooper in Talks to Direct, Lead A STAR IS BORN Remake Opposite Beyonce

Warner Bros.' long-gestating remake of A STAR IS BORN is once again gaining traction.

According to Deadline, Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper is currently in negotations to make his directorial debut, with the studio hoping he'll also star in the project. Clint Eastwood had previously been attached to direct, with Beyonce serving as the film's leading lady. At this point, Beyonce is no longer officially attached, though Warner Bros. is expected to move quickly in order to bring the Grammy winner back into the fray.

A STAR IS BORN follows a few years in the lives of Esther Blodgett (Gaynor), a promising young Hollywood starlet known to her fans as "Vicki Lester", and Norman Maine (March), the older, alcoholic actor who started Esther's career as his own career was fading. Vicki Lester rises to international fame and popularity while Maine sinks into obscurity and suicide. The original 1937 film was produced by David O. Selznick and starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. A Star Is Born has been remade twice, in 1954 with Judy Garland and James Mason, and in 1976 with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson

Cooper is expected to "get into this wholeheartedly" once his West End run of THE ELEPHANT MAN wraps.

Will Fetters penned the most recent draft of the script, which Cooper help rework. Billy Gerber and Jon Peters will produce the film.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, and Christian Bale were also in talks at one point or another to board Eastwood's adaptation.

Photo by Stewart Cook / Rex USA, Jim Smeal / BEImages