The Hit Musical Jamie Foxx Asked Lauryn Hill and Aaliyah to Remake With Him
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Jamie Foxx proved that he was more than just a comedic actor with his multifaceted performance as quarterback Willie Beamen in Oliver Stone’s 1999 sports drama Any Given Sunday. Following the film’s success, Foxx and Stone planned to work together on another project. “Oliver mirrored the coach in Any Given Sunday,” Foxx told Entertainment Weekly. “Me being a young African American actor who really hadn’t had a chance to get down before, I was willing to do whatever to learn from him.” Foxx went on to say, “I came out whipped into shape—and with a great relationship. He taught me a lot about never settling, and that’s why I’m ready to get down again.”
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The plan was for the pair to join forces for a fourth adaptation of A Star Is Born, which was first produced for the screen in 1937 with Janet Gaynor starring as an aspiring actress and Frederic March as a has-been movie star who helps her launch her career. Every version since then was done as a musical, with the two leads being singers instead of actors, including the Judy Garland-James Mason version from 1954 and the Barbra Streisand-Kris Kristofferson remake from 1976. Foxx also intended his take to be a musical, but with the pacing a bit faster to appeal to a younger audience. “But you can’t lose, because it’s a great story,” he said at the time.
The main obstacle for Foxx was landing one of the leading ladies he was pursuing for the project. “We need someone who can rock on screen and make the soundtrack hot,” he said. “Sixteen songs, and they have to be hits.” Foxx’s first choice was Fugees singer Lauryn Hill, but he had a hard time getting in touch with her. Finally, after approaching her at a couple of concerts, Foxx left Hill with the impression that he was a stalker. “You know, you’re making me nervous,” she reportedly told him at one point.
From there, Foxx set his sights on rising R&B singer Aaliyah, who’d just made her big screen debut in the Jet Li film Romeo Must Die. “She’s sexy. She can sing. She can act. Right now I’d say she’s my number one choice,” Foxx said toward the end of 2000. For her part, Aaliyah stated that she was aware of the project and open to working with Foxx, but hadn’t been sent a script. Whether or not Aaliyah ever seriously considered doing it isn’t clear, but she unfortunately died in a plane crash less than a year after commenting on the proposed film.
The idea of remaking A Star Is Born continued to get kicked around for almost two decades, with Jennifer Lopez and Will Smith being attached years later, and even Beyoncé and Clint Eastwood, believe it or not. An updated version was finally released in 2018, featuring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in the lead roles.
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