Coming Up Roses! Hollywood Resuscitating Barbra Streisand's Gypsy Film, With Oscar Winner Barry Levinson at the Helm

A new big screen version of Gypsy starring Barbra Streisand could be back on, this time with Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson (Rain Man, Bugsy) at the helm. According to Variety, STX Entertainment is in advanced negotiations to make the movie musical, featuring Streisand as legendary stage mother Mama Rose, a reality.

Adam Fogelson, chairman of STX Entertainment, first developed the project while he was studio head of Universal Pictures. “It’s Barbra Streisand doing one more, if not the last, movie musical of her career,” he told Variety, adding that Gypsy was “one of the most famous and satisfying musicals ever.”

Universal Pictures put the project in turnaround last fall after five years of well-publicized development. Although the film is now reported to be directed by Levinson, produced by Streisand and Joel Silver and written by Richard LaGravanese (The Fisher King, The Last Five Years), many names have been attached over the years. Streisand herself was once mentioned to direct, as was Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde) and Matthew Warchus (Matilda), while Downtown Abbey creator Julian Fellowes was mentioned as a possible screenwriter.

As for co-stars, John Travolta once said he was Streisand’s pick for the role of onscreen husband Herbie and that Golden Globe Award winning actress and pop star Lady Gaga could play daughter Louise, who becomes burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee, but there’s no confirmation of their involvement in the film.

According to the report, production on the film could start as soon as this year.