Renée Zellweger brings "Miss Show Business" Judy Garland back to life in her first official photo for the upcoming biopic Judy.
The official Twitter account of the movie commemorated the beginning of production by giving fans a sneak peek straight from the movie's principal photography. It shows the 48-year-old actress as the beloved Hollywood icon.
Wearing a floral dress, Zellweger looks upward as she sings into a microphone.
#JUDY starts principal photography in London today, starring Academy Award winner, Renée Zellweger as Judy Garland!#judygarland #reneezellweger #london #thetalkofthetown #jessiebuckley #finnwittrock #michaelgambon #rupertgoold #pathe #calamityfilms #bbcfilms #ingenious pic.twitter.com/VJAnMRuzKV — Judy (@JudyGarlandFilm) March 19, 2018
Zellweger won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2004 for the movie Cold Mountain. She also received two nominations for her performances in Chicago and Bridget Jones' Diary.
Judy Garland's Life And Career
Garland shot to superstardom when she played the role of Dorothy in the 1939 big screen adaptation of L. Frank Braum's The Wizard of Oz. She appeared in more than two dozens of other movies, including A Star is Born, The Harvey Girls, Easter Parade, and Meet Me in St. Louis.
Garland was also a successful recording artist, becoming the first woman to win one of the "big four" categories of the Grammys. She won Album of the Year for Judy at Carnegie Hall at the 4th Grammy Awards in 1961.
She was found dead inside her home in London on June 22, 1969, at the age of 47 due to an accidental drug overdose.
Last year, she once again made headlines after one of her ex-husband Sid Luft revealed in a memoir that Garland was molested by some of the Munchkins on the set of The Wizard of Oz.
"They would make Judy's life miserable on set by putting their hands under her dress," he wrote. "The men were 40 or more years old."
Garland was 16 years old at the time of filming.
Movie Details
According to Deadline, the biopic is set in the late 1960s, 30 years after The Wizard of Oz and during the actress/singer's final performances in London. The movie will include her conflict with management, romance with Mickey Deans, and her memory of a childhood lost in the glitz and glamours of Hollywood.
In addition, the biopic will also include some of her most popular songs, including "Over The Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz.
Judy will be directed by Rupert Goold (True Story, King Charles) from the script penned by Tom Edge of Netflix's The Crown.
The movie will also star Finn Wittrock (American Horror Story), Michael Gambon (Harry Potter), Jessie Buckley (War and Peace), Rufus Sewell (The Man in the High Castle) and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones).
As of this writing, no exact release date has been announced for Judy.
