James Franco has already played James Dean in a biopic, and now he’s setting his sights on Dean’s Rebel Without a Cause co-star Sal Mineo. He’s planning on writing and directing, but does not have plans to stay yet (which is a shame, because all he’d need is to star as Natalie Wood to round out the entire cast).
Mineo, of course, had a ridiculously note-worthy life that seems to have swung in a drunk-happy stupor from the chandeliers. He was the youngest man ever to be nominated for an Academy Award, but he also partied hard enough to impress Andrew WK and ended up being murdered before the age of forty. His career was also a rocket ship that blasted out of orbit and then quickly came down.
There’s a mountain of compelling stories there, and it’s great to see such a solid young talent take up the cause. There’s no word yet on a title, but The Switchblade Kid would be more than appropriate. [THR]
Related Topics: Biopics, James Franco
