Lady Gaga Was Supposed To Star In A Brad Pitt Blockbuster?
Lady Gaga was originally offered a role in Brad Pitt's Bullet Train, but had to decline because of scheduling issues with House of Gucci.
Lady Gaga is quickly becoming a sought-after talent in Hollywood. According to Comic Book Resources, the musician-turned-actress almost had a role in David Leitch’s balls-to-the-wall action flick Bullet Train. She would have starred alongside big names like Brad Pitt, Aaron-Taylor Johnson, Sandra Bullock, and Michael Shannon, but her commitments with House of Gucci kept her from joining the project.
While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Leitch explained why Lady Gaga was unable to appear in his explosive movie. The A Star is Born actress was apparently eyed for a role in the film early on, but because Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci was shot “right before” Bullet Train, the two projects overlapped and made it impossible for the star to appear in both pictures. Ultimately, the scheduling dilemma made the discussions of her involvement in Leitch’s feature very short.
Although the director wouldn’t disclose which character Lady Gaga was being eyed to play because he wanted to leave it a mystery, Collider was able to confirm that she would have played Maria Beetle. The supporting character serves as Ladybug’s handler (Pitt), who put him on the swiftly moving bullet train filled with assassins that want him dead. Sandra Bullock wound up taking over the role, and it marked the first time she shared the screen with Brad Pitt.
Fortunately, Bullet Train was a box office success, grossing $239 million globally on a production budget of around $90 million. Additionally, the story left the door wide open for future installments. So even though Lady Gaga was unable to take part in the film, she could potentially show up as an entirely new character in a sequel or spin-off somewhere down the line.
While it would have certainly been a delight to see the actress in Leitch’s slick and stylish action feature, her performance in House of Gucci was absolutely stellar. The biographical crime drama centers on Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), an outsider from humble beginnings, who marries into the Gucci family. Her unbridled ambition starts to unravel their legacy and kicks off a spiral of betrayal, revenge, and eventually murder.
The award-winning picture, which is based on the novel of the same name by Sara Gay Forden, earned Lady Gaga multiple nominations for Best Actress. Although she was undoubtedly snubbed in the category at the Academy Awards, Göran Lundström, AnnaCrin Lock, and Frederic Aspiras managed to nab an Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling. Jared Leto, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, Florence Andrews, Jack Huston, and Vincent Riotta also star in the Ridley Scott-directed movie.
Next up, Lady Gaga will star as Harley Quinn in the hotly anticipated sequel Joker: Folie à Deux, which is scheduled to arrive in theaters October 4, 2024. Plot details are currently unknown, but Todd Phillips will once again direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with Scott Silver. In addition, Joaquin Phoenix is back as the Joker, with Brendan Gleeson, Zazie Beetz, Harry Lawtey, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, and George Carroll also set to star.
