Hollywood actor Richard Gere looks to be the latest A-list star to join the cast of the upcoming film Chicago, a big screen adaptation of the celebrated musical currently heating up theatre houses on both sides of the Atlantic. The Pretty Woman heart-throb will play Billy Flynn, a shyster lawyer who makes stars out of two accused murderesses, singing and dancing beside Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger.
Plans for the steamy film have been circulating around Hollywood for more than a decade, and the project was at one time considered a vehicle for Goldie Hawn with everyone from Cher to Madonna looking to round out the cast. However, the project was fast-tracked when Catherine Zeta-Jones signed on earlier this year. Bridget Jones’s Diary actress Renee Zellweger was next to enlist, and producers had originally hoped to lure Russell Crowe to the project. However, it now seems Richard Gere will complete the trio.
And while Gere doesn’t have his own odd foot of grunts with which to display his musical prowess, he does have experience treading the boards. The Runaway Bride actor once starred on the West End in a production of Grease and will sing three numbers in the film version of Chicago, including All I Care About.
Production on the movie, which is also expected to star Misery actress Kathy Bates, is scheduled to start in early 2002 in either London or Toronto.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
