Midler, Lott Star in 'Sweet Baby Jesus' Film, Rockwell Rumored To Join

According to Variety, Bette Midler and Pixie Lott are set to star in the upcoming film Sweet Baby Jesus, directed by Peter Hewitt. Sam Rockwell, currently starring on Broadway in A Behanding In Spokane, is rumored to be interested in the part of Lott's love interest, Joe, as reported by Deadline.com.

The movie is a 1970s-set subversion of the Nativity story: hippies Mary (Lott) and Joe are traveling to her mother's house for Christmas in Bethlehem, MD, when she breaks the news that she is pregnant and is unsure of the paternity of the baby. The pregnancy causes an uproar in the small town, fueling rumors and speculation about the second coming of Christ. Midler will play innkeeper Eleanor, who houses the couple in her guest house when the others in town turn them away. 

No other casting for the film has been announced. Sweet Baby Jesus will be produced by Intandem Films. Midler made her Broadway debut in the original cast of Fiddler on the Roof. She has starred insuch films as Ruthless People and Hocus Pocus, as well as animated films such as Oliver & Company and Fantasia 2000. Her many other film credits include Beaches, The First Wives Club, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and The Stepford Wives. In addition, she played Mama Rose in the CBS television version of Gypsy. During her more than forty-year career, Midler has been nominated for two Academy Awards; and won three Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards, and a special Tony Award.

Pixie Lott is an 18-year-old pop singer who appeared on the West End in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Sound of Music. Lott has recorded with Cutfather and Jonas Jeburg (Kylie, Pussycat Dolls), Lily and Beck collaborator Greg Kurstin, Red One (Lady Gaga's 'Just Dance'), Toby Gad (the NY-based producer and songwriter), and Kara DioGuardi, superstar songwriter and new American Idol judge. Her record-breaking single, Mama Do, was written and produced with renowned songwriters Phil Thornalley and Mads Hauge. Her next single, Boys & Girls, will be released on 7th September. Her debut album ‘Turn It Up' is released the week after.

Sam Rockwell is currently making his Broadway debut this season in A Behanding in Spokane. On screen, he recently starred alongside Robert De Niro in Everybody's Fine and will soon be seen in Iron Man 2. His other film work includes Moon, Heist, Frost/Nixon, Matchstick Men and an acclaimed performance in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.