Netflix is betting big again. The streaming giant is teaming with Bradley Cooper for his new directorial effort, a biopic about musician Leonard Bernstein, in which Cooper will star, co-write, produce, and direct. That’s a lot of work right there. Some peg Cooper as the next Clint Eastwood, but most likely, he’s the next Warren Beatty. Their charisma, appeal, and taste is a little more in line than Eastwood and Cooper, but let’s table that conversation for another time and get to this epic-sounding Bernstein pic.
The Bernstein Pic
The biopic has been in the works for almost two years. Originally, it was a priority for Paramount, but for whatever reason, they didn’t move forward with the project. According to Deadline, it’s another romance from Cooper. Cooper and co-writer Josh Singer chose to focus the story on the 30-year long marriage between Bernstein and his wife, Brazilian actress Felicia Montealegre. Rumors suggested their marriage was to dispel his sexual orientation, but they were two people indisputably in love for a long time and had three children together.
In 1976, Bernstein left his wife for Tom Cotham, but when she was dying of lung cancer, he came back home to look after her until her death. Whether Cooper will show some of those complexities or mask them a la A Beautiful Mind, we’ll see… He seems too thoughtful to do something that dishonest and offensive as a storyteller.
The Producers
Martin Scorsese and, a man once very critical of Netflix, Steven Spielberg, are producing the untitled Bernstein pic. Their names bring a lot of weight to the pic. Whose else is producing the movie? A bro favorite director, the Oscar-nominated Todd Phillips (Joker). Scorsese, in fact, was going to direct the Bernstein movies years ago for Paramount. However, Scorsese’s hands were busy with The Irishman, so he stepped aside and let Cooper settle in the director’s chair. As for Spielberg, he recently shot West Side Story, so there’s a major Bernstein connection right there.
Netflix Bags Another Prestige Director
Spielberg is no major fan of the streaming giant, despite the fact it lets filmmakers nowhere near his level get movies made they never could at a major Hollywood studio. Spielberg at one point even suggested that Netflix’s movies should be nominated for Emmys, not Oscars, which was somewhat disrespectful to other filmmakers and a resistance to the times. So, consider it a pleasant surprise we’ll see Spielberg’s name on a Netflix movie, which will begin shooting early next year not longer after Cooper finishes starring in Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley.
Once completed, the Bernstein pic will play in theaters, Netflix confirmed. In a statement, Netflix’s head of film told Deadline:
“Bradley’s directorial debut was nothing short of brilliant and he quickly cemented himself as a serious filmmaker. His strong passion and clear vision for bringing to life the relationship between the iconic composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre promises to do their lives justice as only this renowned filmmaking team can.”
Paramount is not working with Netflix on the movie at all. The usually struggling, IP-driven studio has completely bowed out. Another Bernstein pic was in the works with actor Jake Gyllenhaal, but Cooper’s project has had a hand in killing it.
Other Major Netflix Movies Coming Up
Making a Netflix movie is now almost a right of passage for some prestige directors, so welcome to the club, Bradley. This year, Netflix announced new movies coming this year from David Fincher, Spike Lee, and Gina Prince-Bythewood. Some of the best of the best. Cooper, after only making one very damn fine movie, is now in good company at the streaming service.
