Aaron Sorkin’s ‘Being The Ricardos’ Adds Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, And More
By Ben Pearson/March 29, 2021 5:00 pm EST
Tony Hale (Veep), Alia Shawkat (Search Party), and Jake Lacy (The Office) are the newest actors to sign on, and they’ll join Kidman, Bardem, J.K. Simmons (Zack Snyder’s Justice League), and Nina Arianda (Goliath). Sorkin officially began production on the film today.Being the Ricardos “is set during one production week of I Love Lucy—Monday table read through Friday audience filming—when Lucy and Desi face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.” Kidman and Bardem play Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, who portrayed sitcom couple Lucy and Ricky Ricardo but who had a famously tumultuous and complicated relationship off-screen. Simmons and Arianda will play William Frawley and Vivian Vance, the actors who portrayed Lucy and Desi’s neighbors, Fred and Ethel Mertz, on the show. Tony Hale will play I Love Lucy executive producer and head writer Jess Oppenheimer, while Shawkat and Lacy will co-star as the show’s longtime writing partners, Madelyn Pugh & Bob Carroll Jr.Clark Gregg (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Nelson Franklin (Veep), John Rubinstein (Family), Linda Lavin (Alice, The Good Wife), Robert Pine (CHiPs), and Christopher Denham (Billions) are also on board in undisclosed roles. Sorkin wrote the screenplay and is directing for the third time, following his work on Molly’s Game and The Trial of the Chicago 7.
Sorkin himself also made a statement in the press release: “Being the Ricardos is a drama about the people behind the making of television’s most famous comedy. I’m looking forward to working with Nicole, Javier, J.K., Nina and the rest of our great cast.”
