Today in BioPic News

My least favorite film genre just keeps on ticking. As frequent readers know, I have issues with biopic features. This partially stems from the contrarian in me since I am an Oscar addict and Oscar voters find this type of feature endlessly appealing. Real life famous people do make for great screen characters –I’ll give the genre that. But unless the screenplay is exceptional they’re often difficult to sit through as whole films. Biopics just don’t seem to understand the value of story arc, structure and originality. It’s the most predictable and plodding of all genres… and not just because we often know the outcome of the interchangeable stories.

BioPic News

Lance Armstrong
For those who stalk love Jake Gyllenhaal and have been wondering what is up with the buddy buddy Tour de Francing with Lance Armstrong, Deadline Hollywood has an answer. There’s a biopic in the works and Jake wants to play Lance. There are so many paparazzi photos of Jake in spandex that I bet you could create an entire motion picture just stringing those photos together. Like an animated flipbook of Jake on a bike.

Mariane Pearl
This one is not a biopic in the pure sense --just a true story. But I wanted to mention it. As you have no doubt already heard Angelina Jolie will play the wife of slain journalist Daniel Pearl. The film will be produced by Brad Pitt. It’s a role that was originally going to Jennifer Aniston so...yeah, expect more press salivating over this love triangle for years to come. (I’m on Team Jolie obviously .) This is good news primarily because it's a role that will actually require Angelina Jolie to act rather than coast on her charisma. Lara Croft is fun and all but sheesh…

Bruce Lee
USA Today shares news that the martial arts icon will be getting another biopic. The article doesn’t mention that he already got one with Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story back in the early 90s. I liked that movie at the time but I have no idea if if was really any good or not ~ I haven’t seen it since. But I remember thinking that Jason Scott Lee was a real find. After a brief heyday, his career sadly went the way of straight-to-video inspiring various “ whatever happened to…?” articles. But good luck finding someone who’ll play Lee as well and look as good doing so.

Hannibal
The conqueror not the cannibal. Cinematical reports on the latest regarding Vin Diesel's obsession.

Barbara Baekeland
IMDB still has a page up for Savage Grace the story of the murder of f***ed up heiress Baekeland which even claims that filming began last week. I'll believe it when I see confirmations elsewhere. This page has changed so many times. Cast. Filming. Not Filming. But it's always kept busy Julianne Moore as the lead. If anyone has any info as to why this movie has taken so many years to get off the ground and if it is, actually, FINALLY filming... please do let me know.

Other Biographical Oscar-Bait still in the works:
Sharon Stone Catherine Zeta-Jones as Lana Turner in Stompanato, Benicio Del Toro as Che Guevera in Guerilla, and Uma Thurman Gwyneth Paltrow as Marlene Dietrich, and Liam Neeson as Abraham Lincoln to name just a few.