EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winners JK Simmons and Nina Arianda were named to play William Frawley and Vivian Vance in Amazon and Aaron Sorkin. Being the Ricardos, the movie about I love Lucy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Sources add that Arianda’s deal has not yet been closed.
Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem are in final negotiations to play Ball and Arnaz, with Sorkin writing and directing.
Simmons’ character, Frawley, played neighbor Fred Mertz in I love Lucy. Vance played Fred’s wife and Lucy’s best friend, Ethel Mertz.
The film will be shown during one production week of I love Lucy Monday table read out until Friday’s filming of audience – when Lucy and Desi are facing a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.
Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch will produce. Executive producers are Jenna Block, David Bloomfield of Escape Artists, Stuart Besser, Lucie Arnaz, Desi Arnaz, Jr. and Lauren Lohman.
Simmons stays busy after winning Best Supporting Actor for his role in Whiplash. He was recently seen opposite Andy Samberg in the Hulu comedy Palm springs and intends to reprise his role of Commissioner Gordon in 2007 Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which aired in March on HBO Max. He also has the science thriller The Tomorrow War in which Chris Pratt also stars. He is rebuked by Gersh.
Arianda won a Tony for her breakout performance in Venus in fur and earned another nomination for Born Yesterday. She also played the love interest for Damien Lewis in Showtime’s Billions and starred alongside Billy Bob Thornton in the Amazon drama Goliath. She also appears in Clint Eastwood’s 2019 drama Richard Jewell. The actress is fascinated by ICM Partners and Schreck Rose.