Barbra Streisand "Gypsy" movie may happen - Downton Abbey writer hired for script duties

Julian Fellowes, an Emmy and Golden Globe winner for TV's Downton Abbey, will write the screenplay for the much-discussed remake of Gypsy starring Barbra Streisand as Mama Rose.

Fellowes, also an Oscar winner for the screenplay for 2001's Gosford Park, has been hired by Streisand and fellow producer Joel Silver, who are developing the project for Universal, according to a press release.

Gypsy, a Tony Award-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents about , is a perennial favorite for musical fans. It was previously filmed in 1962 with Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood and remade for television in 1993 starring Bette Midler. The role of Mama Rose, who sings such legendary songs as "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and "Rose's Turn," is considered by many the most challenging role in musical theater.
(source)