Bette Midler, AnnaSophia Robb, and More Lead Film Adaptation of FREAK SHOW

Good news Midler fans- Bette is back!

BroadwayWorld has learned that Bette Midler is set to appear in FREAK SHOW, a film adaptation of James St. James' best-selling LGBT-centric book by the same name. With Trudie Styler as producer and director, AnnaSophia Robb, Ian Nelson, and Lorraine Toussaint will also appear in the film.

The film is currently in pre-production, and the lead role has yet to be set. Filming on FREAK SHOW is expected to begin by the end of October.

Nominated for Lambda Literary Awards for LGBT Children's Young Adult Award and Gay Men's Debut Fiction, FREAK SHOW is described as, "Billy Bloom is gay, but it's mostly theoretical, as he hasn't had much experience. When he has to move to Florida, he can't believe his bad luck. His new school is a mix of Bible Belles, Aberzombies, and Football Heroes, none of which are exactly his type. Billy's efforts to fit in and stand out at the same time are both hilarious and heartrending. In this novel from adult author and media personality James St. James, readers are in for a wild ride as he tells Billy's fascinating story of bravado, pain, and unexpected love, inspired by his own experiences."

Bette Midler made her Broadway debut in Fiddler on the Roof, and even then, she understood the importance of doing matinees. Her remarkable career started while singing in New York bathhouses, where she was given the name, "The Divine Miss M." Her record debut, "The Divine Miss M," earned her a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. In 1979, Bette made her film debut in portraying a doomed and self destructive rock & roll singer in The Rose, for which she earned the Golden Globe for Best Actress, Academy Award nomination, and Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal performance.

In 1988 Bette starred in Beaches, and received her third Grammy Award, Record of the Year, for the film's title song, "Wind Beneath My Wings." Midler garnered her second Best Actress Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for Mark Rydell's For The Boys. Additional film credits include: Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Ruthless People, Big Business, Scene's From a Mall, Hocus Pocus, The First Wives Club, The Stepford Wives, Then She Found Me and The Women. This past January she concluded her critically acclaimed Vegas extravaganza The Showgirl Must Go On at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, with over 200 performances that were seen by over a half-million people in two years. Forty years, four Grammys, four Golden Globes, three Emmys, a Tony Award and tons of record-breaking performances since she hit the scene, the "Divine Miss M" is still going strong.

Source: Deadline