This is good news for Heath (and us), but sad for Colin, one of my personal favorites and very underrated.
Dylan Biopic
Thursday, May 04, 2006
By Roger Friedman
Colin Out, Heath In For Bob Dylan Film
Here’s the big word from the world of film: Colin Farrell is supposedly out and “Brokeback Mountain” star Heath Ledger is in for the Bob Dylan biopic getting ready to shoot this summer called “I’m Not There.”
I am told that director Todd Haynes, of “Far from Heaven” fame, was forced to change lead actors at the last minute. The reason for Farrell’s departure is unknown, but what is known is that he’s been in rehab already this year.
Neither actor was actually going to play Bob Dylan alone in Haynes’s imaginative script. Indeed, the screenplay calls for six different people to play the legendary singer-songwriter, including Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere and Christian Bale.
Julianne Moore, also in the film, is set to play another role (not Dylan), sources tell me.
The fact that John Lennon was recently represented by six actors in a failed Broadway musical is of no consequence to Haynes and company. “We had the idea first,” an insider told me.
The script also calls for the use of more than a dozen Dylan songs, which will be chosen by Haynes from the songwriters’ huge catalogue. Dylan is said to be so enthusiastic about the project that he’s given up his half of the publishing income to make the budget work. The other half is owned by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, and they’re not giving up anything. After all, some of it will go toward paying Michael Jackson’s debt.
And don’t worry; the songs will not be sung by the actors. Many well-known acts like The White Stripes and Aimee Mann will get a shot at re-interpreting Dylan’s work.
