‘A Star Is Born’ Returns to Theaters With New Footage — Plus a Look Back at the Film’s Earlier Versions!

If you simply can’t get enough of A Star Is Born and were blown away by the stunning Oscars performance of “Shallow” by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga (and who wasn’t?), Warner Bros has good news for you: the film is returning to theaters on Friday, March 1 for one week only and with 12 minutes of never-before-seen footage.

The new footage is going to consist of three performances that weren’t originally featured. Those are Gaga, 32, and Bradley, 44, singing “Is That Alright?” during their wedding, Bradley singing “Too Far Gone” in his studio and the duo writing a new song called “Clover.” Additionally, there will be extended performances of “Alibi,” “Black Eyes” and Gaga’s a cappella version of “Shallow” in a parking lot.

From the beginning, critics were going gaga (pun so intended) over the new version of A Star Is Born, the fourth since the 1937 original. This take tells the tale of Jack and Ally — he’s a veteran of the music scenes struggling with inner demons and she’s an unknown he mentors to greatness — who are a pair of souls that come together on stage and in life. Their journey is a challenging one as it explores all aspects of a relationship trying to survive.

Producer Bill Gerber offered in studio-provided comments, “What always resonated with me, and with him, is that it is not simply a rags-to-riches story or a cautionary tale about the perils of fame; it’s a love story, and this is Bradley’s vision mainly born out of conversations he had with Stefani [Gaga’s real name] about who they are as artists. It’s by no means autobiographical, but that’s what really paved the way for the story we’re telling.”

Cowriter Will Fetters explained that the key to the film is understanding what’s beneath the surface of the characters; the things that motivate them. “This is about an epic love between two flawed individuals on different trajectories in life who find each other, and I found myself, through them, just wanting to explore the basic human emotions beneath all the glitz and fame,” he said. “Why are we fascinated with the famous and what does our fascination feel like for them, what does it do to them?”

Detailed producer Lynette Howell Taylor, “This film pulls back the curtain on what it means to be both a star and a rising star in this business today, and Bradley is not your typical first-time feature director. You’re talking about an actor who’s been in the entertainment industry for years, who’s lived with a level of renown, while also soaking up knowledge from the likes of David O. Russell, Clint Eastwood, Todd Phillips and Derek Cianfrance, and honing his own craft as a producer. He’s a real collaborator, he learns, he pays attention. So, by the time he was ready to step into this role, he was more than ready, and it wasn’t at all surprising to me that he’d dive into something that would challenge him and push him, and that would be big and spectacular as well as relevant and current.”

Scroll down to see what Bradley and Lady Gaga have to say about the making of the film, plus view a guide to the previous A Star Is Born films from 1937, 1954 and 1976!