Jennifer Lawrence has reportedly signed on to a role that is already making future Oscar prognosticators’ Best Actress lists. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actress will play Zelda Fitzgerald in a biopic about the writer that may be directed by Ron Howard. Howard is involved in the development process, but apparently has not yet signed on to helm. THR reports that the film is based on Nancy Milford’s biography, and the screenplay by Emma Frost will examine the relationship between Fitzgerald and her famous husband, F. Scott. It seeks to tackle the question: “Can love exist between creative equals?” The two were married when Zelda was just 19, so presumably at some point Lawrence might be playing a character (close to) her own age.
Lawrence will be far from the first woman to take on the role. Natasha Richardson played Zelda in a 1993 TV movie. More recently, Alison Pill got the part in Woody Allen’s Midnight In Paris, and Christina Ricci is donning the flapper regalia for an Amazon series.