The upcoming biopic on iconic actor James Dean’s personal life and romance with screenwriter William Bast has cast its rebel without a cause. Brandon Flynn, known primarily for his role as Justin Foley in the hit Netflix show 13 Reasons Why, has been announced to play James Dean.
This is not Flynn’s first time portraying a renowned queer Hollywood figure. Earlier this year, he played Marlon Brando in an off-Broadway production of Kowalski, a play that explores the relationship between Brando and Tennessee Williams.
The biopic’s writer and director, Guy Guido, lauded Flynn as the right choice for the role. “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,” Guido told The Hollywood Reporter.
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The film, titled Willie and Jimmy Dean, is based on William Bast’s 2006 memoir Surviving James Dean, which details Bast’s relationship with Dean from their meeting at the UCLA theatre program and through becoming roommates, friends, and lovers. They kept their relationship private through Dean’s rising career. Five years into knowing each other, the actor passed away in a car accident in 1955 at the age of 24.
Guido 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 shared his thoughts, saying, “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.”
He continued to express the importance of the honest, open look at Dean’s life that the biopic will give. “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.”
Willie and Jimmy Dean is still in development with the casting process continuing and Guido in conversation with possible producers.
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