Brandon Flynn to play James Dean in new biopic, Entertainment News
The 13 Reasons Why actor has been cast as the late legendary star in Willie and Jimmy Dean, writer-director Guy Guido's upcoming film, which is based on William Bast's 2006 memoir Surviving James Dean, in which he alleged he had a love affair with the Hollywood icon at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Brandon, 31, has praised the script for humanising his character and showing an understanding of who he really was.
He told The Hollywood Reporter: "James Dean is like the known unknown. His short life left behind just three films, a mountain of photographs and a cultural mythology we keep trying to decode. This script is a beautiful attempt at truthfully understanding who he really was — not just the icon, but the man.
"It highlights how Hollywood has historically forced LGBTQ people into performance, even in their personal lives.
"This story dares to present James Dean as a man with real, complex relationships, and I think there's power in that truth."
The script is set from the first meeting between the two men to James' death in September 1955 and Guy is delighted to have Brandon on board.
He said: "This is not a traditional biopic. It's a tender and sometimes tragic story about two young men who found each other in a time and place where being seen — truly seen — came at a cost. Brandon Flynn brings both the fire and vulnerability this role demands. I couldn't imagine anyone more perfect to explore and play out the complexities of James Dean."
The filmmaker, who spoke to William in 2011, four years before his death at the age of 84, previously told how he felt "drawn" to the author's "unique story".
He told The Hollywood Reporter: "I have been a fan and historian of James Dean since I was 18 years old, so I knew about his 'friend' Willie, even when information about their relationship was straight-washed by the Hollywood machine.
"As a filmmaker, I love telling the story of a celebrity's life in their coming-of-age period. As a gay man, I was particularly drawn to Bast's unique story."
In the book, William claimed he and the Hollywood legend become roommates, close friends and eventually lovers during their time at the UCLA's theatre programme when the pair were 19.
The author — who also wrote James Dean: A Biography in 1956 — claimed the fling was kept private in an effort to protect the actor's flourishing Hollywood career, though he hoped he could reunite with his supposed forbidden lover one day.
However, the writer's dream of a relationship was cruelly taken away from him when the Rebel Without a Cause star died in a car accident at the age of 24 in 1955.
[[nid:719440]]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
2 days ago
- AsiaOne
Filming starts on The Devil Wears Prada 2, Entertainment News
Filming has started on The Devil Wears Prada 2. The 2006 film — which is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Lauren Weisberger — followed Anne Hathaway as an aspiring journalist who starts working for formidable Runway magazine boss Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), and now the cast have reportedly started work on the sequel. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie is now "heading into production" with filming planned in New York and Italy, and Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci have also returned to their roles as Emily Charlton and Nigel respectively. What's more, the outlet also claims that Kenneth Branagh has been added to the cast. The news comes just weeks after Emily — who played an overly ambitious employee at the fictional fashion magazine — teased that filming would commence in July and that there could be some "beef" between her alter-ego and Meryl's character. She told Entertainment Tonight: "[Meryl and I are] so mean to each other in every movie [they] do". "We always have beef with each other. I don't know what it is. Let's hope we remedy it. I'm not sure!" But in reality, she admitted that she has no clue what her character is up to now as she remained coy about giving away any plot details. She said: "I don't know. Where is Emily? I don't know "Can you tell I'm skirting the issue? Can you tell I'm not telling you anything?" She also noted that she had no idea that she would ever return to the role that started her career almost 20 years ago. She said: "No. Twenty years ago, in a blink, it's gone by." The Devil Wears Prada 2 is set for release on July 1, 2026. [[nid:719652]]
AsiaOne
6 days ago
- AsiaOne
Mission: Impossible composer Lalo Schifrin dies at 93, media reports say, World News
Argentine musician Lalo Schifrin, composer of the memorable Mission: Impossible theme and the scores for dozens of Hollywood movies and TV shows, has died at age 93, media outlets reported on Thursday (June 26). Schifrin's son, William, confirmed his father's death, The Hollywood Reporter said. An agent for Schifrin did not immediately respond to an e-mail from Reuters. Born in Buenos Aires, Schifrin became a fan of American jazz in his teens. He was also a pianist and conductor. Schifrin received six Oscar nominations for movie scores that included the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke and The Amityville Horror in 1979. He won four Grammys, including one for the Mission: Impossible theme set to an unconventional 5/4 time signature. The song was written for the CBS television spy drama that debuted in 1966 and became a blockbuster film franchise still running today. Schifrin received an honorary Oscar for his lifetime of work in 2018. Clint Eastwood presented him with the award. [[nid:718013]]
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Straits Times
Mission: Impossible composer Lalo Schifrin dies at 93, media reports say
Lalo Schifrin received an honorary Oscar for his lifetime of work in 2018. PHOTO: REUTERS Argentine musician Lalo Schifrin, composer of the memorable Mission: Impossible theme and the scores for dozens of Hollywood movies and TV shows, has died at age 93, media outlets reported on June 26. Schifrin's son, William, confirmed his father's death, The Hollywood Reporter said. An agent for Schifrin did not immediately respond to an e-mail from Reuters. Born in Buenos Aires, Schifrin became a fan of American jazz in his teens. He was also a pianist and conductor. Schifrin received six Oscar nominations for movie scores that included the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke and The Amityville Horror in 1979. He won four Grammys, including one for the Mission: Impossible theme set to an unconventional 5/4 time signature. The song was written for the CBS television spy drama that debuted in 1966 and became a blockbuster film franchise still running today. Schifrin received an honorary Oscar for his lifetime of work in 2018. Clint Eastwood presented him with the award. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
