Russell Crowe and Beyoncé to star in remake of A Star Is Born

In what may strike cynics as a case of life imitating art, Russell Crowe looks set to take a leading role in A Star Is Born, a remake of the classic Hollywood melodrama about a fading, drunken superstar who finds himself eclipsed by a younger model. The former Gladiator star is reportedly in talks to appear alongside Beyoncé in the Warner Bros production. The original 1937 version starred Fredric March and Janet Gaynor as an aging Hollywood actor and the bright young ingenue he takes under his wing. The film was remade in 1954 with James Mason and Judy Garland. The hugely successful 1976 version cast Barbra Streisand alongside Kris Kristoffersson and re-routed the story from the film industry to the music business. Elvis Presley was initially approached to take the Kristoffersson role but reportedly bailed out after he was refused top billing. The latest overhaul apparently casts Crowe as a down-on-his-luck musician who embarks on an affair with a rising young singer. Nick Cassavetes is pencilled in to direct, while the supporting cast will be fleshed out by the likes of Mad Men mainstay John Hamm and singers Alicia Keys and Rihanna. Crowe, now 45, won a best actor Oscar for his role in Gladiator. His recent films include Cinderella Man, American Gangster, Body of Lies and State of Play. He will next be seen as the hero in Ridley Scott's revisionist take on Robin Hood .