Aaron Sorkin’s Got Some ‘Splaining to Do, Casting Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in I Love Lucy Project

Aaron Sorkin, wordsmith behind dialogue-heavy films like The Social Network and Molly’s Game (the latter of which he also directed), has completed his script for Being the Ricardos. In addition to writing the film about I Love Lucy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Sorkin is set to direct the feature for Amazon Studios. Being the Ricardos will have a production-week-in-the-life framework and explore the trajectory of Lucy and Desi’s relationship from a Monday table read to a Friday shoot of I Love Lucy.

According to Variety, Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem are in talks to portray the famous comedic couple. Kidman recently starred alongside Meryl Streep and Andrew Rannels in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix musical The Prom, and in Twitter’s favorite affair drama, The Undoing, alongside Hugh Grant. Bardem’s upcoming roles include King Triton in Disney’s live-action rendition of The Little Mermaid and Stilgar in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune alongside Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac and Zendaya.

While Kidman and Bardem are both known for their dramatic talents—and drama is sure to ensue thanks to this picture’s focus on relationship conflict—I am excited to see their ability to deliver the comedic elements demanded by their roles. It is yet to be seen if the comedy inherent in Ball and Arnaz’s careers will translate into blatant “haha” moments in Sorkin’s filmed retelling of their television personas, or if comedy is merely a launching pad for this dramatic exploration of two comedy legends.