Cate Blanchett to Play Lucille Ball in Aaron Sorkin-Scripted Drama

Deadline reports that Amazon Studios has acquired LUCY AND DESI, a drama written by WEST WING scribe Aaron Sorkin (A FEW GOOD MEN). Cate Blanchett will reportedly take on the role of the legendary comedian and television pioneer, Lucille Ball. While no actor has been cast in the role of Desi Arnaz, Javier Bardem is reportedly among the A-listers in the running for the part.

Lucy and Desi's children, Lucie Luckinbill and Desi Arnaz Jr will be involved in the project described as, "the authorized telling of the tempestuous love/business relationship between Arnaz and Ball, whose production company launched such series as Star Trek."

Blanchett, who recently made her Broadway debut in THE PRESENT, will soon return to the London stage in the role of Margo Channing in Ivo van Hove's ALL ABOUT EVE.

The actress has received international acclaim and many accolades, including six AACTA Awards, two Academy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and three BAFTA Awards. Blanchett came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in Shekhar Kapur's 1998 film Elizabeth, for which she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress, the Golden Globe Award, and earned her first Academy Award for Best Actress nomination. Her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's 2004 film The Aviator brought her critical acclaim and many accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, making her the only actor to win an Oscar for portraying another Oscar-winning actor. In 2013, she starred as Jasmine Francis in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine, for which she won numerous accolades including the Academy Award for Best Actress.

A seven-time Oscar nominee, she has also received nominations for Notes on a SCANDAL (2006), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), I'm Not There(2007) and Carol (2015). Her other notable films include The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Babel (2006), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Robin Hood (2010), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), and Cinderella (2015). Her main role in a big-budget movie was as Galadriel in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03) and The Hobbit trilogy (2012-14). She has been cast as Hela in the Marvel Studios film Thor: Ragnarok (2017).

Blanchett has also had an extensive career on stage and is a four-time Helpmann Award winner for Best Female Actor in a Play. Her earlier roles include the title role in Electra at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (1992), Ophelia in Hamlet at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney (1994), Susan in Plenty in the West End(1999), and the title role in Hedda Gabler with the Sydney Theatre Company (2004). From 2008 to 2013, she and her husband Andrew Upton were co-CEOs and artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company. Her other roles on stage include Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire in Sydney, New York at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Washington D.C. at the KENNEDY Center (2009), Yelena in Uncle Vanyain Sydney, Washington D.C. at the KENNEDY Center and New York at Lincoln Center (2011), and Claire in The Maids in Sydney (2013) and New York at Lincoln Center (2014).

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