Nicole Kidman defended by Lucille Ball’s daughter after backlash over casting

‘The voting is over,’ said Lucie Arnaz

Lucille Ball and Nicole Kidman (Rex)

Lucille Ball’s daughter Lucie Arnaz has defended Nicole Kidman, after news that the star is in talks to play her mother was met with a backlash online.

The comedy legend will be depicted in Aaron Sorkin’s new film, Being the Ricardos, which will focus on the on and off-screen relationship between Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz.

The film will not be a reboot of I Love Lucy, the 1950s sitcom that made them household names and in which they played married couple Lucy and Ricky Ricardo.

“Stop arguing about who should play it,” said Arnaz in a Facebook video, referencing people who had complained that Kidman didn’t have the same nose as Ball and isn’t funny. “Just trust us. It’s going to be a nice film and p.s. the voting is over.”

Javier Bardem is reportedly in negotiations to star as Desi Arnaz. 

The film is set during one production week of I Love Lucy, when the couple face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.

Kidman was most recently seen in thriller series The Undoing as a woman whose marriage breaks down after her husband is accused of committing a heinous crime. She admitted the role took a toll on her mental and physical health.