AceShowbiz -

There's a reason why Bradley Cooper was taking Lady GaGa out over the weekend for a dinner at the Giogio Baldi Italian restaurant in Santa Monica, California. They are reportedly testing for the remake of "A Star Is Born", which would be Cooper's directorial debut.

Mike Flemming Jr. of Deadline was the first to suggest that GaGa and Cooper were discussing the project at the dinner. "What better way to road test the potential pairing of Cooper and Gaga in the remake of A Star Is Born that will mark Cooper's directorial debut at Warner Bros," the columnist commented on their recent outing.

Beyonce Knowles was once linked to the project but Cooper dismissed it as a "rumor" in December last year. The deal with the "Formation" singer reportedly did not go through because she was asking "too much money, and Warner Bros. balked at her price." Despite the reported budget issues, the film was put in active development after it was chosen for tax credits from the State of California in February.

GaGa's participation only makes sense for she had a glowing movie career last year. She won a Golden Globe for acting on "American Horror Story: Hotel" and an Oscar for the soundtrack of "The Hunting Ground". She could easily fill up the role of talented performer Esther Blodgett, which once belonged to Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand.

For Cooper, this would be a passion project. "He's got offers in other places to make his directing debut, and it's a priority for him after learning a lot at the side of Clint Eastwood in the making of 'American Sniper'," Flemming Jr. noted, adding, "Cooper produced that film, which was brought in at a reasonable budget. 'A Star Is Born' will probably cost $40 million; just the pairing of those two and the budget ought to prompt a quick yes from the studio."