Michelle Williams is set to star with Sam Rockwell in a limited run FX series based on the life of Bob Fosse and his third wife/muse/lovahhh Gwen Verdon. This is wonderful news for me, a Fosse stan, and even better news for Williams, who’s reportedly getting equal pay alongside her male co-star.
As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the project is based on Sam Wasson’s doorstopper biography Fosse, and has Lin-Manuel Miranda attached as executive producer. Hamilton director Thomas Kail will direct the first episode and Steven Levenson, the man responsible for Dear Evan Hansen is set to be the showrunner. Thank god these people have musical theatre experience, because otherwise I would be very worried!!!
Lest Fosse’s reputation be tarnished or given a buffed Hollywood sheen, Nicole Fosse, daughter of Bob and Gwen, will also serve as executive producer. “My mother and father have one of the greatest love stories ever known,” she said Tuesday in a statement. “They were extremely complex people with an indestructible bond, loyalty and trust that endured both fantasy and reality. Finally, we have a creative team with the talent and wisdom to tell the story.”
That Williams will reportedly receive equal pay for the role is significant, given the fact that she was paid considerably less than Mark Wahlberg for reshoots on the film All the Money in the World.
Fosse’s choreography will be a large part of the show, which is a relief, but maybe a bold challenge for Rockwell and Williams to face. Yes, I know Williams was in Cabaret in 2014 and that her performance was just fine. Fosse’s choreography, even at its most innocent, always carried an air of perversion in the best way. Rockwell and Williams can act, yes. But can they dance?