12:35 PM PST 2/9/2021
in
Borys Kit
Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem are already in negotiations to join Aaron Sorkin’s drama centered on television icons Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
JK Simmons and Nina Arianda are in negotiations to join Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in the Aaron Sorkin drama centered on television icons Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz from I love Lucy fame.
The project, entitled Being Ricardos, it is configured as a resource at Amazon Studios. Kidman and Bardem are in negotiations to play Ball and Arnaz, the first television family that created and starred in the influential comedy shown in the 1950s. Sorkin wrote the script and is directing.
At the show, the real-life couple Ball and Arnaz played New Yorkers Lucy and Desi Ricardo, housewife and band leader, respectively. Her best friends are another couple, Ethel and Fred Mertz, who often find themselves caught up in Lucy’s complex plans to join her husband in show business.
In Sorkin’s drama, the story takes place during a week of producing I love Lucy, where Ball and Arnaz face challenges on two fronts, a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.
Simmons would play William Frawley, the actor who played Fred Mertz, who later co-starred in My three children. Arianda would play Vivian Vance, who played Ethel Mertz. The Emmy-winning actress would join Ball in her hit show from the 1960s, The Lucy Show.
Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch of Escape Artists are producing the project that is planned to start in April in Los Angeles.
Jenna Block, David Bloomfield, Stuart Besser, Lucie Arnaz, Desi Arnaz Jr. and Lauren Lohman are executive producers.
Simmons, represented by Gersh, last year played a key role alongside Andy Samberg in the acclaimed Palm Springs and will be seen with Chris Pratt in Skydance’s big budget sci-fi movie, Tomorrow War.
Arianda won a Tony for his outstanding performance in Venus in Leather and won another nomination for It was born yesterday. She also played Damien Lewis’ love interest in Showtime’s Billion and co-starred alongside Billy Bob Thornton in the Amazon drama, Goliath. She also appeared in the 2019 Clint Eastwood drama, Richard Jewell. The actress is represented by ICM Partners and Schreck Rose.