“A Star Is Born” Again, with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga

Here’s your first look at the third remake of A Star Is Born, and one thing you can say about it from the preview: it’s not playing safe.

This is, of course. the third go-round for the tale of two musicians who meet while one is ascending the ladder of fame and the the other’s star is in eclipse. The first starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March as an aspiring ingenue and her mentor.

When the second one rolled around in the 1950s, Judy Garland and James Mason were in the leads and the pair played musicians — which held true for the 1976 version which starred Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.

The new adaptation features actor Bradley Cooper juggling more than most would bite off for a first feature. Not only is he behind the lens and calling the shots; he’s acting opposite Lady Gaga and singing in the film as well.

As if that weren’t enough, Cooper and Gaga will not be performing to pre-recorded tracks, but rather (at Gaga’s insistence) performing live as the cameras roll.

The upcoming film stars Cooper as veteran singer Jackson Maine; the trailer opens on his appearance before a huge concert audience crooning a country tune that includes the phrase, “Maybe it’s time to let the old ways down.”

Maine soon befriends Gaga’s character, an insecure chanteuse named Ally who confides to him, “I don’t sing my own songs. I just don’t feel comfortable. Almost every single person has told me that they liked the way I sounded, but they didn’t like the way I looked.”

Eyes twinkling, Cooper replies, “I think you’re beautiful.”

The new film also features performances from Sam Elliott, comedian Dave Chappelle and Andrew Dice Clay. Lady Gaga is also now billed by her stage name, rather than as Stefani Germanotta, her name at birth.

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