Lady Gaga just lined up her next shot at the Best Actress Oscar. Just over a year after playing rising singer Ally in Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born, Deadline announces that Lady Gaga will portray Patrizia Reggiani, the woman convicted of ordering the hit on ex-husband Maurizio Gucci.
The new film, to be directed by Ridley Scott, centers on the “tumultuous Gucci family fashion dynasty” and the murder of Maurizio, the grandson of founder Guccio Gucci.
Reggiani married Maurizio when they were both 24, and they became one of Italy’s most famous power couples. However, in 1985, Maurizio told Reggiani he was going on a business trip. In reality, he left his wife for another woman. The couple ultimately divorced in 1994. The following year, Maurizio was dead, having been shot by a stylishly dressed hitman.
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The media painted Reggiani as a “black widow” figure, who was one part gold digger, one part jealous ex. In 1998, Reggiani was convicted — along with four others, including Reggiani’s psychic — of ordering the assassination on her former husband, and sentenced to 29 years in prison. Her pet ferret Bambi accompanied her during her incarceration.
Reggiani’s daughters asked to have her mother's conviction overturned, claiming Reggiani's brain tumour was the catalyst for her behaviour. Her conviction remained, but after spending 18 years in prison, Reggiani was released for good behaviour in October of 2016. She got her first job, working as a jewelry consultant in Milan. Despite the crime, she is reportedly still entitled to money from the Gucci estate, according to The Telegraph.
It won’t be the first time that Gaga has descended into a dark role. She won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of “The Countess” on American Horror Story: Hotel.
Had things gone differently, Scott’s film may not have been the first time Gaga played a fashion heiress. She was a fan favourite to star as Donatella Versace in American Crime Story’s second season, The Assassination of Gianni Versace. Penelope Cruz ultimately scored the part.