Daisy Edgar-Jones no longer playing Carole King in movie adaptation

More than a year and a half after first signing on for the role, Daisy Edgar-Jones revealed she is not portraying singer-songwriter Carole King in a biopic.

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The 26-year-old actress signed on to star in Sony’s movie adaptation of Beautiful: A Carole King Musical, which had a five-year run on Broadway from 2014 to 2019. 

While little has been revealed about the project since, Edgar-Jones revealed in a wide-ranging interview with Variety to promote Twisters that she was no longer attached to the project. 

‘That’s no longer happening. I love Carole and I love that story, but it was a year ago that they decided [to no longer pursue it]. I did learn a lot of piano,’ she said.

While the actress seemed to implicate that the project itself was no longer happening, Variety confirmed the film still is in development at Sony. 

More than a year and a half after first signing on for the role, Daisy Edgar-Jones revealed she is not portraying singer-songwriter Carole King in a biopic

‘That’s no longer happening. I love Carole (above, circa 2016) and I love that story, but it was a year ago that they decided [to no longer pursue it]. I did learn a lot of piano,’ she said

Edgar-Jones continued, ‘I think it’s a gorgeous story, and the script probably needs a little more time in the oven.’  

‘But I did meet Carole King on Zoom, and I was like, “This is the coolest thing ever.” She really enjoyed Normal People, so she was a fan of that and I was a fan of hers,’ Edgar-Jones said of her breakout 2020 BBC Three/Hulu miniseries. 

She admitted, ‘I get so starstruck by musicians, much more than actors, and Carole was one where it was quite hard to keep my cool.’

The original jukebox musical using King’s incredible library of songs and a book from Douglas McGrath debuted with a pre-Broadway tryout at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, with Jessie Mueller playing King.

The show sold out its entire run through September 2013 and early October 2013, leading to its Broadway debut in November 2013.

Mueller won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical while the production also won Best Sound Design, while the production was nominated for Best Musical and more.

Sony Pictures announced in March 2015 that McGrath would be adapting his stage book into a screenplay adaptation.

The musical’s producer Paul Blake was set to produce alongside Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman through their Playtone production company.

Edgar-Jones continued, ‘I think it’s a gorgeous story, and the script probably needs a little more time in the oven’

The original jukebox musical using King’s incredible library of songs and a book from Douglas McGrath debuted with a pre-Broadway tryout at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, with Jessie Mueller playing King

After her breakthrough role in Normal People, Edgar-Jones went on to star in Fresh alongside Sebastian Stan and the adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing in 2022

Carole King is considered one of the most successful American songwriters of all time, with 118 on the Billboard Hot 100

There was no movement on the project until Edgar-Jones was cast in December 2022, with Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right) set to direct and co-write the script with Stuart Blumberg. 

After her breakthrough role in Normal People, Edgar-Jones went on to star in Fresh alongside Sebastian Stan and the adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing in 2022. 

She’ll next be seen alongside Glenn Powell in Twisters, in theaters July 19, and she has On Swift Horses in post-production.

Carole King is considered one of the most successful American songwriters of all time, with 118 on the Billboard Hot 100.

She also released 25 solo albums, with her most famous – Tapestry – set a record for most weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 album charts for more than 20 years.