Helen Mirren to Join Al Pacino in HBO’s Phil Spector Movie, Replacing Bette Midler

Helen Mirren is replacing the previously reported Bette Midler in HBO’s film about music producer Phil Spector, according to a report on Deadline.com. David Mamet is writing and directing the project, which is currently in production. Midler has withdrawn from the movie for medical reasons.

Starring Al Pacino in the title role, the film will explore the relationship between Spector and defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden (to be played by Mirren), who represented Spector during his first trial for murder. The cast also features Jeffrey Tambor as fellow defense attorney Bruce Cutler.

Mirren won the Academy Award for Best Actress, along with a Golden Globe, BAFTA, SAG and numerous other awards, for her performance in Stephen Frears’ The Queen. Among her other recent film appearances are Red and The Tempest, as well as The Last Station, for which she earned a fourth Oscar nomination. The actress was most recently seen on stage in Racine’s Phedre, a role which she played in London and Washington, D.C.