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Will a Butler be born? Scottish star is up for iconic remake role

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EXCLUSIVE: There have been so many potential births on the “A Star Is Born” remake that it’s starting to look like a nursery. Now a new bundle could be coming out of the delivery room: Gerard Butler.

The male lead in Warner Bros.’ update of the classic rise-and-fall Hollywood tale was open for years as the project sat in development. There were rumors of Beyonce on the actress side, but no older, fading male singer for her to play against.

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This winter, word surfaced that Russell Crowe was being considered for the part. But there’s no offer, and it’s very possible the “Robin Hood” actor won’t do the role after all. So the studio is considering other options, and one of the names on its list is a juicy one -- Butler.

Butler’s an interesting choice, not least because he’s younger than Crowe and other potentials. In fact, at 40, he’s only 12 years older than Beyonce. Though the actor hasn’t been a critical favorite -- and there are those who will no doubt question whether he can fill the large shoes filled by Kris Kristofferson and James Mason (who were nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar, respectively) -- he does possess the power to bring women into the theater. Three otherwise middling movies of his -- “The Ugly Truth,” “The Bounty Hunter” and “Law Abiding Citizen” -- all earned at least $65 million in the domestic box office, a tidy sum for films at a certain budget.
A Butler casting would also mark a creative reinvention for the actor, since he’s known mostly for romantic comedies and action films, not down-on-his-luck dramas. Then again, the movie’s theme is reinvention.

-- Steven Zeitchik, reporting from Cannes

http://twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT



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