Javier Bardem In Talks to Portray Desi Arnaz in Amazon & Aaron Sorkin’s “Being the Ricardos”

Javier Bardem may soon be saying, “Lucy, I’m Home!”

The 51-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actor is in talks to play Desi Arnaz opposite Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball in Amazon and Aaron Sorkin’s Being the Ricardos.

Javier Bardem

The film centers on the relationship between the I Love Lucy stars. Having penned the screenplay, Academy Award winner Sorkin also will direct the film from Amazon Studios and Escape Artists.

The film is set during one production week of I Love Lucy — Monday table read through Friday audience filming— when Lucy and Desi face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.

Sorkin originally was going to pen the script only, when Cate Blanchett was circling, but after enjoying himself on the drama The Trial of the Chicago 7, he decided to attach himself as a director as well over the summer.

After The Trial of the Chicago 7 bowed on Netflix in October, Being the Ricardos began to gain momentum with Kidman and Bardem quickly interested in the couple behind television’s first family. Deals still need to close for both actors, but even if and when they do, when production will start is still up in the air as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to push productions throughout the country.

After years as one of Hollywood’s most prolific screenwriters with such classics as A Few Good Men, Moneyball and his Oscar-winning The Social NetworkSorkin has found himself more and more behind the camera as well. His directing debut was the drama Molly’s Game starring Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba, and he followed that up with The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Bardem most recently starred in The Roads Not Taken and can next be seen in Legendary’s DuneHe also is set to play King Triton in Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid.

Guillermo del Toro Earns PGA Awards Nomination for “The Shape of Water”

The recognition for Guillermo del Toro’s latest monster-piece continues…

The Producers Guild of America has announced its film and television nominees for the 29th annual PGA Awards, with the 53-year Mexican filmmaker earning a nod for his critically acclaimed film The Shape of Water.

Guillermo del Toro,

For the first time, a tie in the voting means 11 films are vying for the marquee Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, rather than the usual 10.

In addition to del Toro’s The Shape of Water, the nominees include The Big Sick, Call Me by Your Name, Dunkirk, Get Out, I, Tonya, Lady Bird, Molly’s Game, The Post, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Wonder Woman.

The PGA Awards will be handed out on January 20 at the Beverly Hilton.

Here are the nominees for the 29th annual PGA Awards, co-chaired Donald De Line and Amy Pascal:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:

The Big Sick
 Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel
Call Me By Your Name
 Producers: Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges, Marco Morabito
Dunkirk Producers: Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan
Get Out Producers: Sean McKittrick & Edward H. Hamm, Jr., Jason Blum, Jordan Peele
I, Tonya
 Producers: Bryan Unkeless, Steven Rogers, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley
Lady Bird Producers: Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, Evelyn O’Neill
Molly’s Game Producers: Mark Gordon, Amy Pascal, Matt Jackson
The Post
 Producers: Amy Pascal, Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger
The Shape Of Water
 Producers: Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
 Producers: Graham Broadbent & Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh
Wonder Woman
 Producers: Charles Roven & Richard Suckle, Zack Snyder & Deborah Snyder

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

The Boss Baby
 Producer: Ramsey Naito
Coco
 Producer: Darla K. Anderson
Despicable Me 3
 Producers: Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy
Ferdinand
 Producers: Lori Forte, Bruce Anderson
The Lego Batman Movie
 Producers: Dan Lin, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures:
Chasing Coral
 Producers: Jeff Orlowski, Larissa Rhodes
City of Ghosts
 Producer: Matthew Heineman
Cries from Syria
 Producers: Evgeny Afineevsky, Den Tolmor, Aaron I. Butler
Earth: One Amazing Day
 Producer: Stephen McDonogh
Jane
(This film is still in the process of being vetted for producer eligibility this year.)
Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower 
(This film is still in the process of being vetted for producer eligibility this year.)
The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee
 Producers: Teddy Kunhardt, George Kunhardt

The producers of the programs in the following six categories are in the process of being vetted for awards eligibility this year, and the winners will be recognized at the official ceremony on January 20. 

The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama:

Big Little Lies (Season 1)
The Crown (Season 2)
Game of Thrones (Season 7)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Season 1)
Stranger Things (Season 2)

The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy:

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 9)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Season 1)
Master of None (Season 2)
Silicon Valley (Season 4)
Veep (Season 6)

The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television:
The Long-Form Television category encompasses both movies of the week and limited series.

Black Mirror (Season 4)
Fargo (Season 3)
FEUD: Bette and Joan (Season 1)
Sherlock: The Lying Detective
The Wizard of Lies

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television:

30 for 30 (Season 8)
60 Minutes (Season 50)
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (Season 9, Season 10)
Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath (Season 1, Season 2)
Spielberg

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television:

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (Season 2)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (Season 15)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Season 4)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (Season 3)
Saturday Night Live (Season 43)

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television:

The Amazing Race (Season 29)
American Ninja Warrior (Season 9)
Lip Sync Battle (Season 3)
Top Chef (Season 14)
The Voice (Season 12, Season 13)

The Award for Outstanding Short-Form Program:

Better Call Saul’s Los Pollos Hermanos Employee Training (Season 1)
Carpool Karaoke (Season 1)
Humans of New York: The Series (Season 1)
National Endowment for the Arts: United States of Arts (Season 3)
Viceland at the Women’s March (Season 1)

The Award for Outstanding Sports Program:

All or Nothing: A Season with the Los Angeles Rams (Season 2)
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Season 12)
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (Season 23)
SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt (Season 3)
VICE World of Sports (Season 2)

The Award for Outstanding Children’s Program:

Doc McStuffins (Season 4)
Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2017
School of Rock (Season 3)
Sesame Street (Season 47)
SpongeBob SquarePants (Season 10, Season 11)