Nicole Kidman Plays Lucille Ball With Javier Bardem In ‘Being The Ricardos’ [TRAILER]

Amazon Prime Video has released a trailer for the Aaron Sorkin movie Being the Ricardos, starring Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball. She plays opposite Javier Bardem as Lucy’s Cuban husband, Desi Arnaz in the biopic. However, it should be noted that the movie isn’t a reboot of the popular TV show, I Love Lucy. Instead, it tells the story of Lucy and Desi, their relationship and their marriage. Read on to find out more about the film.

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in Being the Ricardos

On Tuesday, October 19, Amazon Prime Video released a trailer for the upcoming movie, Being the Ricardos. The movie follows the lives of an iconic Hollywood couple, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz during a production week on the set of I Love Lucy.

Meanwhile, Australian actress Nicole Kidman and Spanish actor Javier Bardem play the roles of Lucy and Desi to convincing effect. The movie covers everything from a Monday table read, to an audience shot for the show. It reveals the challenges that both Ball and Arnaz faced in making the show that could have ended both their marriage and both of their careers.

The trailer included below, offers flashes into the iconic couple’s whirlwind life. In fact, it shows Kidman in the role of Lucy making a voiceover right through to Lucy’s famous grape stomping scene from a 1956 episode, Lucy’s Italian Movie.

Nicole Kidman: Not an I Love Lucy reboot

In a recent Variety Actors on Actors interview with Chris Rock, Nicole Kidman stressed that the biopic is not a remake of I Love Lucy. Instead, the movie tackles serious themes. Kidman said that the “strange thing about Lucille Ball is that everyone thinks we’re remaking the I Love Lucy Show.” She added that it is “so not that.” It is rather about Lucy and Desi, their relationship and their marriage, which she said, “is very deep, actually.”

The biopic Being the Ricardos also covers the racial barriers Lucy and Desi had to face. In fact, Desi was discriminated against because he was Cuban. This led to Lucille fighting for him to stay on the comedy show. According to the trailer description, the couple was threatened by shocking personal accusations, a political smear and cultural taboos.

Cast of the biopic

Besides Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in the lead roles, J.K. Simmons plays the part of William Frawley in Being the Ricardos. According to the official IMDb page, Jake Lacy stars as Bob Carroll, Jr, while Nina Arianda stars as Vivian Vance.

Meanwhile, Alia Shawkat stars in the role of Madelyn Pugh and Tony Hale as Jess Oppenheimer. Ronny Cox plays the older Bob Carroll, while Christopher Denham stars as Donald Glass. The page lists a number of other stars of Being the Ricardos, but so far their roles are not listed.

More about Being the Ricardos

Aaron Sorkin penned the screenplay and directs the movie for Amazon Studios and Escape Artists. Meanwhile, producers for the biopic are Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch. Executive producers for the movie are Jenna Block and David Bloomfield, along with Lucie Arnaz, Desi Arnaz, Jr, Stuart Besser and Lauren Lohman.

What is the biopic’s release date?

Prior to the release of the movie, readers can watch the trailer here:

Being the Ricardos will enjoy a theatrical release on December 10 and will drop on Amazon Prime Video on December 21, 2021.