Sydney Sweeney, David Jonsson in Talks to Play Kim Novak and Sammy Davis Jr. in Love Affair Drama Directed by Colman Domingo

Colman Domingo is set to make his feature directorial debut with “Scandalous,” a period drama about the 1950’s romance between movie star Kim Novak and singer Sammy Davis Jr., and the bigoted scrutiny that the pair faced once their affair came to light. Sydney Sweeney and David Jonsson are in talks to play the two leads.

Miramax is working to fast track the project, which remains in early stages of development. Producers have hopes to shoot next year after Domingo and Sweeney have finished filming the third season of HBO’s “Euphoria.”

As it went, Novak and Davis first connected when they both appeared as guests on “The Steve Allen Show” in 1956. The two continued to meet, with Davis making visits to the set of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” during the next year. They met again at a Thanksgiving charity ball in California during the year, which led to the pair spending the holidays together. Harry Cohn, head of Columbia Pictures, where Novak was under contract, voiced unease about their relationship. The romance exploded into the public eye when a Chicago gossip columnist published an account of Davis and Novak’s relationship in 1958, claiming the two could soon be married. Novak issued a public denial of the account.

Deadline was first to report news of the project.