Tyler Rowean March 19th, 2018 - 4:21 PM
Late last year, Pathé and Calamity Films announced that Renée Zellweger would play the iconic Judy Garland in their upcoming biopic, Judy. The film would follow a script penned by Tom Edge and be helmed by Rupert Goold, who is well-known worldwide and on the London theater circuit, earning not one but two Laurence Olivier Awards. Now a few months later, they have begun principal photography and we finally have our first look at Zellweger as Garland, the tragic legend, Deadline reports.
#JUDY starts principal photography in London today, starring Academy Award winner, Renée Zellweger as Judy Garland!#judygarland #reneezellweger #london #thetalkofthetown #jessiebuckley #finnwittrock #michaelgambon #rupertgoold #pathe #calamityfilms #bbcfilms #ingenious pic.twitter.com/VJAnMRuzKV
— Judy (@JudyGarlandFilm) March 19, 2018
The period piece will take place in the year 1968. At this point, Garland has been through the wringer with her fame, demanding studio producers, and the surveillance of the world upon her. Still, Garland deals with her troubles with grace, presenting a more poised version of herself to the world despite her overwhelming struggles. In the film, Zellweger will portray Garland’s five weeks performing at a nightclub, finding time to please her fans with her work, as well as a new admirer: her future (and final) husband, Mickey Deans. Sadly, though the two of them married, it was not for long; Garland passed away the very same year of her nuptials in 1969.
As we know today, these will be the final years of life for the singer/actress and it will be interesting to see how Zellweger portrays the stress from years of stardom and the factors that led to Garland’s premature death. Zellweger, a talented singer in her own right, will take on some of Garland’s classic music in her performance.
The biopic will also star Finn Wittrock (The Big Short) as Deans, along with a supporting cast including Jessie Buckley (Taboo), Michael Gambon (Harry Potter series), and Rufus Sewell (The Illusionist). There is no set release date yet.
