Bradley Cooper's next project as a director, Maestro, starts filming in May. The four-time Academy Award-nominated actor made his feature directorial debut with A Star is Born in 2018, the latest reimagining of the 1937 film that was remade twice, in 1954 and 1976. Though A Star is Born solidified him as a serious presence behind the camera, Cooper is still best known for his work in front of it, including his Oscar-nominated performances in Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, and American Sniper.
Cooper is also well-known for voicing Rocket Raccoon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a role he will reprise in Thor: Love and Thunder this year, followed by 2023's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the prior holiday special. Cooper's most recent on-screen performances include an ambitious carny in Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley and a real-life film producer, Jon Peters, in Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza. However, it seems he already has another project lined up, in which he will star as well as direct.
During a recent conversation with Mahershala Ali for Variety's Actors on Actors series, Cooper reveals when his next project will begin production. Cooper says Maestro, which will see him play the esteemed Broadway composer Leonard Bernstein with Carey Mulligan on board to play his wife Felicia Montealegre, will finally start filming in May. As of now, Succession's Jeremy Strong is the only other confirmed member of the cast. Read what Cooper had to say about the project below:
I [told Spielberg], "I always felt like I could play a conductor, but may I research the material and see if I can write it and direct it? Would you let me do that?" Steven has a lot of interests — he’ll just choose one thing and all of the other things will be on hold. I think he knew he wasn’t going to make that movie for a while. He was kind enough to hand it off to me, and that’s what I’ve been doing for the last four and a half years, and we start shooting in May.
Cooper has been attached to a Bernstein biopic since 2018, when he was still fresh off A Star is Born and Steven Spielberg recruited him to star in it. However, the project fell apart, since Cooper was more interested in spearheading it himself rather than taking on the role for another director, even one as accomplished as Spielberg. The decision has now seemed to pay off for Cooper, as he will be writing, directing, and starring in Maestro for Netflix.
Maestro is highly anticipated as Cooper's first directorial effort since A Star is Born and potentially Netflix's next big Oscars contender. His first film as a director resulted in eight Academy Award nods, including for Best Picture, his own performance as well as Lady Gaga and Sam Elliott's, and Cooper's adapted screenplay. Alas, A Star is Born did not win in any of these major categories, which means his next effort could be due for some victories. With filming slated to begin this May, expect to see Maestro in theaters and on Netflix sometime in early- to mid-2023.
Source: Variety