Movie News Archive

My Fair Lady

December 1st
Shakespeare In Love director John Madden is now in the frame to direct My Fair Lady (we're fast running out of directors to be attached to this project!). John almost directed Keira in Silk and the cancelled Tulip Fever. Casting will begin in January, according to Variety. Let's hope Keira's still attached.

October 30th
I hereby declare that I hate supposedly reliable media. While Keira may well be Eliza, the other 'fact' revealed by The Telegraph - that My Fair Lady will be directed by Joe Wright - has been denied by the man himself on the red carpet within the last two days: watch it here.

October 24th
By George, She's Got It!
Keira has now been confirmed in the role of Eliza Doolittle for the 2011 release My Fair Lady. And the director has also been confirmed as Joe Wright, who directed Keira to Academy Award nomination in Pride & Prejudice, plus of course Atonement and the Coco Mademoiselle commercial. Keira was always the front-runner for the role, with both producers and industry insiders saying she put in by far the best screen test. The script is being adapted by Emma Thompson and promises to be more faithful to George Bernard Shaw's original play Pygmalion, much of which was left out to make way for Lerner & Loewe's songs in the Broadway play and movie. More on the newswire.

October 16th
ScreenDaily has an interview with producer Duncan Kenworthy, who insists Keira is still attached to star in My Fair Lady, at the end of this interview, although no announcement will be made until a director is confirmed.

October 12th
Danny Boyle confirms Baz Bamigboye's comments (regarding him being no longer attached to My Fair Lady) in an interview with Digital Spy.

September 11th
The Daily Mail's (only) reliable journalist Baz Bamigboye has a flurry of Keira news today (my notes in red):
- Keira, Scarlett and Anne Hathaway are the shortlist of possible Elizas for My Fair Lady.
- Sony insiders say Keira is the favourite to get the role, and has met Danny Boyle, purpotedly the director.
- Filming could still be a year away, with a 2011 release.
- Keira is in talks regarding 'future dramatic projects'.

August 30th
The Sunday Telegraph reports that Keira is up against Scarlett Johansson for the role of Eliza in My Fair Lady.

August 26th
My Fair Lady producer Cameron Mackintosh has dangled a carrot regarding the shortlist for Eliza, telling The Times “I have two actresses as potential Elizas, one British, the other American. You’d know their names, but I’m not letting on.”

March 11th
ComingSoon interview Keira ahead of the US Edge Of Love release. Notable are Keira's comments confirming my recent posts regarding The Beautiful and the Damned - "later on in the year" and My Fair Lady - "slowly but surely coming together".

February 24th
EXCLUSIVE:
After correspondence with Keira's agent today I can announce the following:
- Keira is still NOT confirmed for My Fair Lady.

February 13th
The Daily Mail's Baz has more tidbits on My Fair Lady, with the news that Stephen Daldry is in talks to direct, that all the Lerner & Loewe songs will be kept in, and that filming won't start until NEXT year. Article.

January 5th 2009
Meanwhile, Anne Thompson's blog at Variety says Keira HAS signed for My Fair Lady, which is the first time we've seen this as confirmed.

October 12th
The Daily Mail's only reliable journalist Baz Bamigboye writes in his column this week that Keira has met up with a singing coach ready for My Fair Lady and that extensive training will begin later next year. He admits that Keira has not yet signed for the role, but goes on to say that Sony are "not looking for anyone else to play Eliza". So unless something drastic happens I think it's fair to say "By George, she's got it!" Article.

September 25th
Both George Clooney and Brad Pitt are apparently vying for the role of Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady 'opposite Keira', who's role isn't even confirmed yet anyway.

June 23rd
Following correspondence today, Keira's agent Lindy King tells me that My Fair Lady is still in "very early stages", so it's far from a done deal, or even 'final negotiations'. It's looking good though. Talking of Lindy, she's No.7 in The Observer's list of most powerful people in showbiz. Quite right too.

June 19th
In the R&J interview above, Keira doesn't deny being approached regarding My Fair Lady, but says she hasn't signed. However, Baz at the Daily Mail (the only reliable source of info at the paper) writes today as though it's a done deal.

June 6th
It's been two years on the rumour mill in one medium or another (see this 2006 article), but now it appears to be nearing confirmation. Variety reports today that Keira is in negotiations to play Eliza Dolittle in a remake of the 1964 musical version of My Fair Lady, based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. It will be produced for Columbia by West End mogul Sir Cameron Mackintosh and Love Actually's Duncan Kenworthy. The project is set for a 2010 release so a lot can change before then, and the studio have not even confirmed that Keira is on the shortlist for Eliza. As a huge Audrey Hepburn fan I welcome this cautiously, but I'm more happy that they're talking about pulling more from the original play, much of which was left out of the MGM film, and filming on location rather than in studios.

March 29th 2008
MCN have reignited the rumours about Keira playing Eliza Dolittle in a remake of My Fair Lady. You will remember this story first appeared two years ago, and was later denied by the producer Sir Trevor Nunn. It remains to be seen if this is old news or if Keira's vocal talents in The Edge of Love have urged a rethink ! If there's any truth in it at all, I wouldn't mind seeing Keira in a movie version of the original non-musical play Pygmalion, which hasn't been done on the big screen since 1938.

May 27th 2006
Old news: Sir Trevor Nunn says Keira is not on his shortlist for a new stage/screen version of My Fair Lady. A pity, that.

April 9th 2006
Today's Sunday Telegraph has an article stating that Keira is in the front-running to play Eliza Doolittle in either a new stage or movie version of My Fair Lady. Producer of the latest London version Sir Cameron Mackintosh is said to have approached Keira about the role and sent her a script while in the Caribbean. Keira is said to be desperate to do a musical and theatre would be a new medium for her. As a life-long Audrey Hepburn fan I've written a new blog entry giving my thoughts on this news.
Thanks Daivd, Andrew