Barbra Streisand reviving 25-year-old script for first directorial effort in 16 years

Barbra Streisand, 70, is ready to make her first film as a director in 16 years — using a 25-year-old script — and has Oscar-winners Cate Blanchett and Colin Firth already set to star. The only problem is that the iconic actress and singer is having trouble raising the money.

According to Time, Streisand told The Los Angeles Times about the project earlier this month, when she was in LA for the opening of a women’s heart center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The film is titled Skinny and Cat, and Streisand told the LA Times she is “shocked” she is having trouble raising the $20 million needed to finance the picture about photojournalist Margaret Bourke-Whiteand and writer Erskine Caldwell, even with two major stars attached.

“This is hard to raise money for?" Streisand told the paper. "I'm just in shock. Hollywood has changed so much. It's about a woman ahead of her time. It's just a fascinating story that is very relevant to today. I may have to pick up the phone again."

On Friday, a rep for Streisand confirmed with Reuters she is working on the project again, but has yet to get the green light because she can’t get the financing together.

Streisand has directed three films in her career, with her last being 1996’s The Mirror Has Two Faces with Jeff Bridges. She also directed Yentl and The Prince of Tides. Since The Mirror Has Two Faces, she has only starred in two films, Meet The Fockers and Little Fockers.

Last month, she confirmed that she will be performing in her native Brooklyn for the first time ever at the new Barclays Center in October. She is also reportedly working on a new film adaptation of Gypsy.