Lady Gaga in talks to lead Ridley Scott's true crime drama 'Gucci'

Lady Gaga is in talks to play Patrizia Reggiani — ex-wife of murdered fashion boss Maurizio Gucci — in a new true crime tale being helmed by Ridley Scott.

Reggiani was jailed for ordering a hitman to gun down her husband in 1995, 18 months after he sold his Gucci shares for $170m (£137m).

She became known as the “Black Widow” and was released in 2016 after serving 18 years in prison.

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Scott’s film adaptation of the scandalous true story, entitled Gucci, has been bought by studio MGM after a bidding war that also included streaming giant Netflix.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the promise of a theatrical release was a major factor for Scott in backing MGM.

Scott’s wife, Giannina Scott, is a producer on the film and described it as a “labour of love” for the couple.

Gaga will be hoping to secure another Oscar nomination, having scooped a Best Actress nod for A Star is Born.

The 34-year-old won the Best Original Song Oscar for Shallow and attracted headlines after her performance on the telecast with co-star Bradley Cooper.

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Scott, meanwhile, has been hard at work on historical epic The Last Duel, with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon reuniting to write a movie together for the first time since their Good Will Hunting Oscar win.

Based on a true story, the film chronicles a duel between two best friends in 14th century France after one is accused of raping the other’s wife.

That film’s production was halted by the coronavirus pandemic, but is set to resume as soon as the crisis has eased.

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Scott will move directly from The Last Duel to Gucci, in the hope of getting the buzzy project moving as soon as possible.

MGM will be hoping to turn their fortunes around after losing a significant amount of money — estimated at up to $50m (£40m) — after the pandemic forced them to delay James Bond blockbuster No Time to Die.

The studio has, ambitiously, already set a November 2021 release date for Gucci.