While other major Hollywood studios have come to a stop with their current projects, MGM has stepped up to acquire Gucci, a true crime drama revolved around the murder of the fashion mogul Maurizio Gucci. The film has set Ridley Scott to direct and will star Lady Gaga, whose most recent acting role in A Star Is Born got her nominated for Best Actress.

Gaga will play Patrizia Reggiani, Gucci’s ex-wife, who was tried and convicted of orchestrating her ex-husband’s assassination outside of his office in 1995. MGM had beat out Netflix and at least one other streamer for the project. According to sources, MGM won partly because the studio offered Scott an opportunity for a theatrical release. This proved to be a key factor for Scott, and has set the release date to Nov. 24, 2021.

Maurizio Gucci was the grandson of Guccio Gucci and ran his company during its declining period in the 1980s after wresting it out of an uncle’s hands. Following his assassination viahitman, Patrizia served 18 years of jail time before letting out in 2016. Robert Bentivegna helmed the script, which is based on Sara Gay Forden’s 2001 book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed. The intriguing title implies just that: the gripping account of Maurizio’s murder and the complex family history, filled with corporate infighting, collapsing family dynamics, and reign of the Gucci dynasty.

Scott was in the middle of shooting a Middle Ages-themed drama The Last Duel starring Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Adam Driver, but that movie has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. MGM has also followed suit with other major studios by pushing back its highly anticipated $250 million James Bond film No Time to Die. 

Giannina Scott, who will produce with her husband Ridley via their company Scott Free Banner, expresses excitement for where Gucci will be headed: “This project has long been a labor of love for both Ridley and me. The story is so epic, the stakes so high and the characters so richly drawn that we were determined to get it to the big screen. To say we are thrilled to be teaming with [MGM film chairman] Mike De Luca and his brilliant film group at MGM is an understatement. We can’t wait to see this come to life next year.”