Sydney Sweeney to Star as Kim Novak in Directorial Debut from Colman Domingo

Domingo will direct "Scandalous" for Miramax about the romance between Novak and Sammy Davis Jr.

Sydney Sweeney is getting her turn as a Hitchcock blonde…or at least the chance to portray one.

Sweeney will play Old Hollywood actress Kim Novak in a feature titled “Scandalous,” and the project will be the directorial debut for “Sing Sing” star Colman Domingo. Sweeney shared the news update as originally reported by Deadline to her Instagram story on Tuesday, October 22.

Also cast alongside Sweeney is “Industry” actor David Jonsson, who will portray Rat Pack legend Sammy Davis Jr.

Reps for Sweeney, Domingo, and studio Miramax did not respond to a request for comment.

The feature, which is set up at Miramax, will tell the story of Novak and Sammy Davis Jr.’s clandestine affair. Novak and Davis first met as guests on “The Steve Allen Show.” Their relationship was later leaked by a gossip columnist in 1958, which threatened Novak’s career at Columbia Pictures. Then studio head Harry Cohn allegedly forbade Novak from going out with Davis.

At the time, both stars denied the affair, and Davis married chorus girl Loray White nine days after the gossip report was published. But Novak later told Fox News in 2023 that her relationship with Davis was “misunderstood,” especially as she “wasn’t in love with him” but still “loved him,” even while she pined for director Richard Quine.

“I never thought of race. However, the studio was very much upset by it. I resisted because I didn’t believe that was correct,” the “Vertigo” star said of Davis. “While people were feeling a certain way, I also felt people needed to change. And I felt that by seeing Sammy and Sammy seeing me, that we could help people understand and accept interracial relationships of any kind. I was feeling like I was on the edge of being able to help people to be more accepting of all races and relationships of all kinds,” she shared. “I felt I was doing the right thing by doing that. I felt that Sammy and I were at the start of helping people understand that this is not wrong. A man is a man, no matter what skin color he has. A woman is a woman, no matter what skin color she has.”

Matthew Fantaci wrote the script for “Scandalous,” which was developed by Miramax CEO Jon Glickman at his company Panoramic prior to him taking the Miramax job.

Sweeney will produce the feature through her production banner Fifty-Fifty. Tani Cohen and Bobby Roth are also producing, and Jon Levin is executive producing.

“Scandalous” is a reunion for Domingo and Sweeney, who have both appeared on the hit HBO series “Euphoria.” The duo are reprising their respective roles for Season 3, which is set to film in January 2025.

Sweeney recently started filming on another biopic role, an untitled film in which she plays boxer Christy Martin. Sweeney recently shared images of her impressive transformation in the role, including bulking up and dyeing her hair brown.

Deadline first reported the news of the project.