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Beyoncé Remaking A Star Is Born With Bradley Cooper: "Just a Rumor!"

The Hangover hunk plays down reports he's in talks with director Clint Eastwood to join the flick

By Marc Malkin Sep 05, 2012 12:57 PMTags
Beyonce, Bradley CooperJason Merritt/Getty Images For BET, Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images

We have something to tell you about Clint Eastwood—and no, it has nothing to do with an empty chair.

But it's not exactly good news if you were excited about reports that the Hollywood legend is going to direct Beyoncé and Bradley Cooper in a remake of A Star Is Born.

"Just a rumor," Cooper told us last night at the premiere of his new drama, The Words, at the ArcLight Hollywood.

Asked if he'd be interested in doing it, Cooper, 37, chose his words carefully, only saying, "I mean, Clint Eastwood is one of the best directors alive."

But maybe we don't need another Star Is Born. "There are like three versions already," Cooper said.

That's true. The first was in 1937 followed by a version starring Judy Garland in 1954. The third costarred Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.

While we ranked Streisand's version as the best, Cooper wasn't so sure.

"Even better than Judy Garland?" he asked.

Now, back to The Words, which stars Cooper as a writer who finds a lost draft of a novel and publishes it as his own. Zoe Saldana costars his wife with Jeremy Irons playing the book's actual writer. Rounding out the cast are Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde and Ben Barnes.

Cooper grew up with the film's codirectors and cowriters Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal in the Philadelphia suburbs. 

"I've known them since I was like 10 years old," Cooper said. "Brian used to come and play at my house."

It really did turn into a hometown reunion. Cooper beamed, "My mom was there for most of the time when we were shooting."

Cute!