Scheduling conflicts may have put her position in jeopardy only a few short months ago, when The Gambler and Room breakout Brie Larson was lined up as a replacement, though Variety brings word today that Emma Stone has sealed a deal to star opposite Steve Carrell in tennis drama Battle of the Sexes.
According to the outlet, the in-demand actress has reshuffled her slate in order to accommodate the feature, meaning that plans for a Crazy, Stupid, Love reunion are back on the table once more. But whereas Stone and Carrell’s last on-screen collaboration had the pair navigate through the various pitfalls of modern romance as a father-daughter duo, Battle of the Sexes will have them picking up the tennis rackets to depict one of the most famous matches in the sport’s history.
Returning to the production to play Billie Jean King, Stone’s character will be the 29-year-old female tennis player who boldly called Bobby Riggs (Carrell) out of retirement for one final match. As a 55-year-old former Wimbledon champion, Riggs emerged as the hot favorite prior to the 1973 match, and their encounter drew an audience of some 50 million Americans.
A true underdog story by its very nature, Carrell and Stone won’t be the only creative pair reteaming for Battle of the Sexes, given that Fox Searchlight’s drama will be helmed by Little Miss Sunshine duo Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, working from a script penned by Simon Beaufoy. Danny Boyle is producing the sports drama, which is just one of a number of tennis feature films in the works, with HBO’s Proof and Match Maker also emerging as competition.
Shooting is expected to get underway on Battle of the Sexes very soon, with Carrell and Stone now primed to take center court.
