UPDATE (March 17): Never mind! The Huffington Post reached out to Rihanna’s rep to confirm the singer’s involvement with the movie. “She was never ever attached,” she said in an email. Dreams deferred.
PREVIOUSLY: Remember when Rihanna made her feature-film debut in “Battleship”? Someone must have texted her in a crisis, because the singer’s movie career has seen an upswing since that noisy board game hit the big screen in 2012.
Rihanna’s latest booking is “Annette,” which Variety and Deadline call a “music-filled drama.” The Film Stage tweeted a sales poster that labels it “a film all in songs,” implying a full-on musical.
Amazon acquired North American distribution rights on Tuesday, confirming Rihanna’s casting opposite Adam Driver. (We know he can sing!) Rooney Mara had also been attached to the film, but she dropped out due to reported scheduling conflicts.
The movie revolves around a widowed stand-up comedian, presumably played by Driver, whose 2-year-old daughter has an unlikely gift. Producers are hunting for a female lead to replace Mara before production begins this spring. Featuring new music from the indie-rock band Sparks, “Annette” is the first English-language project directed by Leos Carax, known for arty French films like “Boy Meets Girl” and “Holy Motors.”
Rihanna has a busy acting schedule ahead: She’ll soon be seen as Marion Crane on “Bates Motel,” and this summer she has a role in the time-traveling sci-fi adventure “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” starring Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne. Next year, she’ll appear as part of the illustrious “Ocean’s 8” cast, calling the shots with Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson and other celestial gems.
