We’ve seen many actors play real people, but some look the part more than others. Renée Zellweger definitely embodies the legendary Judy Garland in this first look photo from the upcoming biopic Judy, which is currently in production in London.
The Oscar winner, 48, sports Garland’s signature short, black locks and is seen singing into a microphone. According to Variety, Judy takes place in the late 1960s when the Wizard of Oz actress and singer was performing a series of concerts in London not long before her death. The film will also cover the drama that was going on in Garland’s life offstage. Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock and Michael Gambon round out the cast led by Zellweger.
#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
Garland died in June 1969 at the age of 47, just months after her tour ended. Her cause of death was an accidental barbiturate overdose.
Judy is Zellweger’s most high-profile film since her 2016 comeback in Bridget Jones’s Baby after taking a six-year break from acting. “I found anonymity, so I could have exchanges with people on a human level and be seen and heard, not be defined by this image that precedes me when I walk into a room,” Zellweger told British Vogue in 2016. “You cannot be a good storyteller if you don’t have life experiences, and you can’t relate to people.”
She added, “I was fatigued and wasn’t taking the time I needed to recover between projects, and it caught up with me. I got sick of the sound of my own voice: It was time to go away and grow up a bit.”
Judy is set to be released later this year.
