Deadline brings word that Michelle Williams, the decorated actress who shot to fame through roles in Shutter Island, Blue Valentine and My Week with Marilyn, has opened negotiations to join musical biopic The Greatest Showman.
Should a deal fall into place, Williams will join Neighbors 2 star Zac Efron and Hugh Jackman in the feature, and it’s understood the latter has been attached to the P.T Barnum biopic for years at this point.
Held up as the first totally original live-action musical in close to two decades, The Greatest Showman comes bearing a script from award-winning scribe Michael Arndt, working from drafts penned by Jenny Bicks, Bill Condon and Jonathan Tropper. Charting the three-ring act known as Barnum & Bailey Circus, Jackman and Co. will chronicle Barnum’s defining impact on show business in the 19th century. It’ll also welcome the X-Men stalwart back into the genre of musicals, who last flexed his singing chops on Les Misérables and, to a lesser extent, Warner Bros. flop Pan.
Deadline stopped short of revealing when The Greatest Showman will enter production, let alone the specifics of Williams’ role. However that may be, the actress can next be seen opposite Casey Affleck in Sundance darling Manchester By The Sea. It’s pegged for theatrical release on November 18.
