Colman Domingo is set to make his directorial debut with “Scandalous,” a drama about the 1950s love story between movie star Kim Novak and singer Sammy Davis Jr., and the bigoted scrutiny the couple faced once their relationship came to light. Sidney Sweeney and David Johnson are in talks to play the roles.
Miramax is working to accelerate the pace of the project, which is still in the early stages of development. Producers hope to start filming next year after Domingo and Sweeney finish filming the third season of the HBO series Euphoria.
However, Novak and Davis first connected when they appeared as guests on “The Steve Allen Show” in 1956. The two continued to meet, with Davis making visits to the set of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” over the next year. They met again at a Thanksgiving charity event in California, which led to the couple spending the holidays together. Harry Cohn, president of Columbia Pictures, where Novak was under contract, expressed concern about their relationship.
The romance exploded before the public eye when a Chicago columnist published a report on Davis and Novak’s relationship in 1958, claiming that the two might soon marry. Novak issued a public denial of the account. Days later, Davis married Loray White, a black chorus singer. The couple’s union lasted one year. Novak married white actor Richard Johnson in 1965. They later divorced, and Novak married Robert Malloy in 1976. The couple remained together until Malloy’s death in 2021. Novak is now 91 years old. Davis died in 1990 at the age of 64.
Domingo has directed television episodes before, but Scandal will be his first feature film behind the camera. Sweeney is coming off Glen Powell’s romantic comedy “Anyonebut You,” Marvel’s “Madame Web,” and the indie horror film “Immaculate.” She is currently filming a biopic about boxer Christy Martin ahead of her planned return to “Euphoria” in 2025. Johnson most recently appeared in “Alien: Romulus,” with other credits including the romantic thriller “Rye Lane” and a lead role in the the first. Two seasons of “Industry” on HBO.
Deadline was first to report news of the project.
