Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz will be the focus of an upcoming movie titled “Being the Ricardos.” There has been some debate on social medial about which actress should play the iconic comedian. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

Who should play the role of Lucille Ball in an upcoming movie about the First Lady of Comedy and her partner, Desi Arnaz, has sparked interest in the film’s production.

The movie titled “Being the Ricardos” was written and will be directed by Aaron Sorkin, who is known for the TV show “The West Wing” and feature film “A Few Good Men.”

Earlier this month, it was reported that Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem were set to play Ball and Arnaz respectively. Following that announcement, several fans took to social media to suggest other actresses who could portray Ball, which included Debra Messing.

Messing had previously played Ball’s “I Love Lucy” character, Lucy Ricardo, during an episode of “Will & Grace.” Messing even went on social media to announce that she is available to play the role.

After the stir up on social media about who should portray Lucy, Lucie Arnaz, Ball’s daughter, posted a video message on Facebook Jan. 17 about the casting of Kidman in “Being the Ricardos.”

A face mask is pictured on the statue dedicated to the area’s comedic icon at Lucille Ball Memorial Park in Celoron. For consecutive days, the Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services and Cattaraugus County Health Department reported no new confirmed cases of the coronavirus. P-J file photo by Phil Zimmer

“It’s a done deal, but the contracts aren’t actually signed, which is why I haven’t said anything publicly about it. But I felt I should at least try to calm the waters here,” Lucie Arnaz said. “There seems to be a lot of discussion about Nicole Kidman (and people saying) it should be Debra Messing … I don’t know, but here’s the deal and what you should understand: We’re not doing a remake of ‘I Love Lucy.’ Nobody has to impersonate Lucy Ricardo nor do the Vitameatavegamin routine, or … any of the silly things. It’s the story of Lucille Ball, my actual mother, not Lucy Ricardo, and her husband, Dezi Arnaz, my dad, not Ricky Ricardo.”

Lucie Arnaz said there will be humor in the film, but it’s a story about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and how they meet and what went right with finding the show, and what went wrong with their relationship and their love affair.

“Now, of course it’s going to have ‘I Love Lucy’ in it. As a matter of fact, Aaron Sorkin has set it on the stage of filming one week of rehearsal, rehearsing and filming the show. But all this other stuff takes place during that time,” Lucie Arnaz said. “Aaron has done a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life, and it’s just a little … slice of life in their journey. It’s not the whole story. It’s not a biopic from cradle to grave. It is a two-hour feature film about these two people and some of the remarkable things they lived through.”

Lucie Arnaz then asked for people to stop arguing about who should play Lucille Ball.

“Just trust us, it’s going to be a nice film, and p.s. the voting is over,” Lucie Arnaz said. “I love all of you.”

Gary Hahn, National Comedy Center and Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum marketing and communications vice president, said museum officials are confident that the upcoming film from Amazon and Academy Award-winning writer/director Sorkin will honor these extraordinary artists in a wonderful way.

“To have a film of this caliber in production, as we mark 70 years since ‘I Love Lucy’ debuted, is a testament to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s pioneering work and enduring legacies,” he said. “We have great faith and trust in the creative team, including executive producers Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr. and look forward to the film sparking even greater interest in Lucy and Desi’s remarkable careers, while helping to create a new generation of fans who will be inspired to visit Jamestown.”