Amy And Bobby McGee: Adams Is Your New Janis Joplin

A Janis Joplin biopic has been brewing in Hollywood for ages now. The list of ladies previously considered for the role is long and decidedly eclectic: Renee Zellweger, Pink (!), Courtney Love, the late Brittany Murphy… You name the kooky actress, chances are she’s done a screen test to play the 60’s legend. But now, it appears Hollywood has finally found the right woman for the role, and that woman is… Amy Adams? Really? Well, if you say so. From Nikki Finke at Deadline:

I can tell you that Amy is indeed confirmed in the role for the film to be directed by Fernando Meirelles (City Of God). There's no studio involved yet, and the script has been through several drafts.

Meirelles also directed “The Constant Gardner” and is extremely well-suited to this subject matter. Chances are, his Joplin Woodstock scene will be a whole lot more chaotic and interesting than what Ang Lee gave us in “Taking Woodstock.”

The choice of Adams, on the surface, is kinda weird. With so many oddball names thrown in the hat before, it’s kind of a shock to see a NORMAL actress chosen for the role of Joplin. I’m so used to seeing Adams as a princess or a put-upon blogger that thinking of her as a disheveled heroin addict feels like a stretch. But chances are, that’s only because she hasn’t done it yet. Adams is a hugely talented actress (she was particularly good in “Junebug,” which got her a first Oscar nomination), and I’d rather see a real actress in the role than someone like Pink, who may seem closer in spirit to Joplin but may not be able to actually ACT.

Then again, Finke says no studio is attached yet, so who knows if this will actually come to pass. Maybe Adams is simply another name to add to the list of those considered for a role that’ll never happen. Maybe Lady Gaga will get the role five years from now, and you’ll get to see Joplin in a Kermit the Frog dress. Anything seems possible with this project.

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