New Amazon series Lucy and Desi will feature Cate Blanchett as Lucille Ball

Cate Blanchett and Lucille Ball fans both have reason to rejoice! Blanchett is set to portray the famous red-haired comedienne in the upcoming Amazon series “Lucy and Desi.”

The series, written by Aaron Sorkin, is said to follow Ball’s love life, focusing particularly on her tumultuous marriage to Cuban Desi Arnaz. The couple eloped in 1940, worked together on “I Love Lucy” during the ’50s and divorced in 1960. They had two children, Desi Jr. and Lucie, both of whom will be involved in the show’s production.

The rights for the show include the use of the memoirs of both Ball and and Arnaz. Reportedly, the former spouses remained committed friends after their divorce—Ball’s good friend, Carol Channing, once said, “They spoke so lovingly of each other, you almost forgot they weren’t together anymore.”

There’s no word yet on who might play Arnaz, although rumor has it Javier Bardem is being considered. As an actress, Australian Cate Blanchett is fabled for disappearing into her roles (she’s famously portrayed roles as diverse as Queen Elizabeth I and Bob Dylan), so we feel sure she’ll do justice to Ball’s exciting life and legacy.

Lucille Ball was born in 1911 and worked as a model and Broadway actress before finding her way to film in the late 1930s. In 1962, she became the first woman to run a major television studio, named (of course!) Desilu Productions. The company would go on to produce other popular series like “Mission: Impossible” and “Star Trek.”

“I Love Lucy” premiered in 1951 and remains incredibly popular today. Iconic scenes from the show, like Lucy and Ethel in the candy factory and the TV commercial Vitameatavegemin, continue to bring laughs to millions of Americans.

We’re pretty excited to see Blanchett bring Ball to life. Raise your hand if you can’t wait to see Blanchett frantically stuffing chocolates in her mouth as they recreate that candy factory episode!