Leonardo DiCaprio’s eternal youth and boyish appearance may have aided his timeless stardom in Hollywood, but it only hurt his chances of starring in a James Dean biopic.
Director Michael Mann has revealed he scrapped a “brilliant script” about the late ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ actor Dean because of his dream lead, DiCaprio, who looked too young for the part.
“It was so weird about James Dean,” Mann told Deadline. “It’s, ‘Who the hell could play James Dean?’ And I found a guy who could play James Dean, but he was too young. It was Leo. We did a screen test which is pretty amazing. I think he must have been 19 at the time. .
Screen legend Dean died aged 24 after a car accident in 1955 after starring in three major films.
“In a way, he totally had it with him,” Mann said of DiCaprio. “I mean, it’s brilliant. He turned his face in one direction and we had a vision of James Dean, then he turned his face in another direction and it’s no, it’s a young boy.
He added, “I found the absolutely perfect act of the play, about three years after that. He respectfully unpacked James Dean’s biography for me.
Instead, Mann went on to direct ‘Heat’ in 1995, while DiCaprio continued his rise to global stardom with ‘The Basketball Diaries’ the same year, followed by 1996’s ‘Romeo + Juliet’ and his starring role. decisive in the epic “Titanic” by James Cameron. in 1997.
Dean’s legacy was most famously portrayed by lookalike James Franco in the 2001 TV movie “James Dean.”
And DiCaprio went on to take on real-life historical figures for the big screen, including Howard Hughes for Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” J. Edgar Hoover, Frank Abagnale Jr. and Jordan Belfort. Next, DiCaprio is also linked to the role of cult leader Jim Jones and former President Theodore Roosevelt in two upcoming films. The Oscar-winning actor also stars in Scorsese’s “The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder,” based on a true story.
Writer-director Mann may get a chance to work with Oscar-nominated Gen Z DiCaprio Timothée Chalamet in the “Heat 2” prequel based on Mann’s new novel. Original “Heat” star Al Pacino cast Chalamet to portray a younger version of his cop character.
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Leonardo DiCaprio’s eternal youth and boyish appearance may have aided his timeless stardom in Hollywood, but it only hurt his chances of starring in a James Dean biopic.
Director Michael Mann has revealed he scrapped a “brilliant script” about the late ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ actor Dean because of his dream lead, DiCaprio, who looked too young for the part.
“It was so weird about James Dean,” Mann told Deadline. “It’s, ‘Who the hell could play James Dean?’ And I found a guy who could play James Dean, but he was too young. It was Leo. We did a screen test which is pretty amazing. I think he must have been 19 at the time. .
Screen legend Dean died aged 24 after a car accident in 1955 after starring in three major films.
“In a way, he totally had it with him,” Mann said of DiCaprio. “I mean, it’s brilliant. He turned his face in one direction and we had a vision of James Dean, then he turned his face in another direction and it’s no, it’s a young boy.
He added, “I found the absolutely perfect act of the play, about three years after that. He respectfully unpacked James Dean’s biography for me.
Instead, Mann went on to direct ‘Heat’ in 1995, while DiCaprio continued his rise to global stardom with ‘The Basketball Diaries’ the same year, followed by 1996’s ‘Romeo + Juliet’ and his starring role. decisive in the epic “Titanic” by James Cameron. in 1997.
Dean’s legacy was most famously portrayed by lookalike James Franco in the 2001 TV movie “James Dean.”
And DiCaprio went on to take on real-life historical figures for the big screen, including Howard Hughes for Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” J. Edgar Hoover, Frank Abagnale Jr. and Jordan Belfort. Next, DiCaprio is also linked to the role of cult leader Jim Jones and former President Theodore Roosevelt in two upcoming films. The Oscar-winning actor also stars in Scorsese’s “The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder,” based on a true story.
Writer-director Mann may get a chance to work with Oscar-nominated Gen Z DiCaprio Timothée Chalamet in the “Heat 2” prequel based on Mann’s new novel. Original “Heat” star Al Pacino cast Chalamet to portray a younger version of his cop character.
Register: Stay up to date with the latest film and TV news! Sign up for our email newsletters here.