Oscar winning actor Jeremy Irons has joined the already stacked cast of director Ridley Scott's upcoming biographical drama Gucci. Irons will play Maurizio Gucci, one-time head of the Gucci fashion house, a role that was initially intended for Robert De Niro. The involvement of De Niro was evidently premature, and now Irons has signed on to join a stellar cast that includes Academy Award winner Lady Gaga, Academy Award nominee Adam Driver, and Academy Award winners Jared Leto, and Al Pacino, as well as Jack Huston and Reeve Carney, who are all in talks to appear.

Gucci is coming courtesy of MGM and Gladiator director Ridley Scott and will be based on the book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by Sara Gay Forden. The adaptation is being scripted by Roberto Bentivegna and will be produced by Scott with Scott Free Productions, Giannina Scott, and Kevin Walsh.

In her first big screen appearance since starring in Bradley Cooper's Awards-darling A Star is Born back in 2018, Lady Gaga will star in Gucci as Patrizia Reggiani, the ex-wife of Maurizio Gucci (Irons), who was tried and convicted of orchestrating his assassination on the steps of his office in 1995. The trial was a media sensation, revealing that after 12 years of marriage and two children, Gucci had decided to leave Reggiani for another woman.

During this time, Reggiani was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which her children blamed for her actions and assassination plan. Reggiani was dubbed the "Black Widow" by the press and was sentenced to 29 years, although her sentence was reduced after a successful appeal on the grounds that her brain tumor had affected her behavior. Reggiani went on to serve 18 years in jail before being let out in 2016.

The hugely dramatic real-life story has been a sought-after project since its conception, with Netflix and other streaming platforms fighting to work with director Ridley Scott to get the movie made. Ultimately, Scott chose to work with MGM due to the movie's theatrical elements. Giannina Scott will produce the movie with husband Ridley through the couple's Scott Free banner and has previously discussed how much making Gucci means to her and Scott. "This project has long been a labor of love for both Ridley and me," she said of the movie. "The story is so epic, the stakes so high and the characters so richly drawn that we were determined to get it to the big screen. To say we are thrilled to be teaming with Mike De Luca and his brilliant film group at MGM is an understatement. We can't wait to see this come to life next year."

Gucci does not currently have a release date, though reportedly both MGM and Ridley Scott are aiming to have the movie open in theaters sometime in November of next year. With the ongoing global situation and recent delays to the entertainment industry, this date could be a difficult one to stick to. This comes to us from The Hollywood Reporter.