For years Hugh Jackman has been attached to play P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman, a film that would let the multi-talented actor show off all of his various skills as an entertainer. But getting the project off the ground has been tough with multiple writers tackling the screenplay which Michael Gracey would direct from. And now as another writer comes aboard, so does a top actress to join Jackman.
Deadline reports that Michelle Williams has entered talks for the film, which also has Zac Efron eyeing a role. Coming aboard to take a crack at the script is Toy Story 3's Michael Arndt, taking over from Jenny Bicks who had followed Jonathan Tropper and Bill Condon. For some reason they've had difficulty shaping the story of Barnum, who in the 19th-century created the famous three-ring Ringling Brothers circus we all know and love. Williams' role is unclear but she could play Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind, who was part of Barnum's traveling show and one of his obsessions.
This will actually be a reunion for Jackman and Williams, but their previous film isn't likely to be one you remember. They starred in the terrible 2008 thriller, Deception, which was not only awful but a box office flop. Hopefully The Greatest Showman will be a significant improvement when it opens next year on Christmas Day.
