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| Brad Pitt |
Will Pitt be “‘The Front Runner’ in next film?
Is Brad Pitt’s next role a gay one? The buzz is a definite…maybe. Thanks to the critical and box-office success of “Brokeback Mountain,” gay projects that have been waiting for a green light may soon find themselves one step closer to being realized. That’s what’s happening with “The Front Runner,” the novel by Patricia Nell Warren about a same-sex affair between a male track coach and a member of his team. Paul Newman bought the movie rights to the book more than 30 years ago, but the project remained dormant for decades. Now producers are stepping in with offers of a large enough budget to do the film justice, and the casting chat around Hollywood is that Brad Pitt has expressed interest in playing a gay role. How’s that for speculative? When Romeo knows more, he’ll pass the dirt along.
Kim Cattrall Joins “‘Him and Us’
ABC’s upcoming comedy pilot “Him and Us” just got a power boost from “Sex and the City” star Kim Cattrall. She’ll be taking over a lead role on the show, starring opposite “Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s” Anthony Stewart Head. Executive produced by Elton John, the pilot centers on, not so coincidentally, a gay British rock star and his longtime manager just call it “Elton & Grace.” Head will play the rock star, and Cattrall the manager, Freddie, a role originally written for a man. Cattrall’s been focusing on films since “Sex” ended, appearing in the Disney movie “Ice Princess” and John Boorman’s “A Tiger’s Tale,” shooting now. But if the pilot goes to series, her fans will once again get a weekly helping of the sassy star.
Farrell Is “‘There’ for Dylan
Add Colin Farrell’s name to the growing list of stars who have signed on to appear in queer director Todd Haynes’ latest cinematic experiment. Still in pre-production after more than a few Romeo updates, “I’m Not There” is a sure-to-be-challenging and genre-smashing biographical exploration of the life and music of legendary songwriter Bob Dylan. Dylan will be played by several different actors, and the cast includes Haynes’ muse, Julianne Moore, as well as Richard Gere, Christian Bale, and Cate Blanchett. After a long wait, the film will begin shooting this summer in Romania. Meanwhile, Romeo wants to know if Farrell and the rest will learn to sing like Dylan, too a la Joaquin Phoenix in “Walk the Line.”
Jinks and Cohen Answer “‘Yes’
Maria Dahyana Headley’s memoir, “The Year of Yes,” presented enough dating misadventures to fill a decade’s worth of romantic movie comedies. After navigating the Manhattan singles world and deciding she was being too critical and negative, Headley opted for one year to say yes to every man who asked her out. Romeo assumes no lesbians approached her, or she’d probably have said yes to them, too. Maybe? The book now has an unexpected suitor, Paramount Pictures, which acquired the rights for a big-screen adaptation for producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, the queer minds behind “American Beauty” and “Big Fish.” There are no other details yet, but a script is in the works, and casting is certainly being discussed.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, March 17, 2006.