Colman Domingo will make his feature film debut with “Scandalous,” a historical drama about the 1950s romance between movie star Kim Novak and singer Sammy Davis Jr. and the sensitive criticism the couple faced when their relationship came to light . Sydney Sweeney and David Jonsson are in talks to play the two lead roles.

Miramax is working to accelerate the project, which is still in early development. Producers hope to begin filming next year after Domingo and Sweeney finish filming the third season of HBO's “Euphoria.”

Over time, Novak and Davis first met when they both appeared as guests on The Steve Allen Show in 1956. The two continued to see each other, and Davis visited the set of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo the next year. They met again at a Thanksgiving fundraiser in California, which led to the two spending the holiday together. Harry Cohn, head of Columbia Pictures, to which Novak was signed, expressed unease about their relationship.

The romance became public knowledge when a Chicago columnist published a report on the relationship between Davis and Novak in 1958 and claimed that the two might soon marry. Novak publicly denied the account. Days later, Davis married Loray White, a black chorister. The couple's union lasted a year. Novak married white actor Richard Johnson in 1965. The two 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 a few television series before, but Scandalous would be his first feature film behind the camera. Sweeney comes from Glen Powell's romantic comedy Anyone but You, Sony's Marvel spin-off Madame Web and indie horror film Immaculate. She is currently filming a biopic about boxer Christy Martin before returning to Euphoria in 2025. Jonsson most recently appeared in Alien: Romulus, the romance Rye Lane and a lead role in the first two seasons of HBO's Industry.

Deadline was first to report news about the project.