After being listed in development for some time, the revival of A Star is Born got a bit of a boost on July 12 with a New York Post story that linked Audra McDonald to what was described as her "pet project."
For now, Nonesuch Records (which works with McDonald) has nothing to report on the project, at least "not yet," according to a label source, although record executive Bob Hurwitz is said to have pushed the idea forward.
William Wellman's original 1937 film, which starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March as actors in Hollywood, was followed 17 years later by a film musical version directed by George Cukor and starring Judy Garland and James Mason. Cukor's musical version featured a Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin score that included the songs "Born in a Trunk," "The Man That Got Away" and "The Way Glory Goes." The Post also said that McDonald would possibly be adding two songs to the show, "Here's What I'm Here For" and "Lose That Long Face," which were cut before the film's 1954 release.
Broadway composers Cy Coleman and David Zippel, who were also mentioned in the Post article, were said to have been doing additional songs for the show at one point, though Coleman now says the project was "shelved."
Veteran music publisher Frank Military of Warner-Chappel Music told Playbill On-Line that he was aware of Andrew Lloyd Webber's interest in the project as a producer, but that there had been no recent development on the show.