Rumors swirling around the long-awaited biopic Jeff Buckley faced falsely actor Penn Badgley as the protagonist of the film about the late singer and composer. According to the film co-producer, Orian Williams , the rumors surrounding the “Gossip Girl” star is compounded on inaccurate facts, moreover, that “Twilight” Robert Pattinson has been considered a shoe on the role of the enigmatic singer and songwriter.
“Penn is not involved in the film at all,” Williams said in a telephone interview. “It’s crazy how these stories out.” When asked about the involvement of Pattinson in the movie, Williams said that although he is a fan of British actor, who had only had preliminary meetings with Pattinson, who was interested in auditioning for the film project, now almost six years in the making. Williams, along with producer Michelle Sy , the casting director Billy Hopkins and executive producer Mary Guibert , Buckley’s mother, still looking the actors for the casting process, which will probably start in October, Williams said.
Most likely the film will star an unknown actor who can represent Buckley, without the weight of preconceived expectations of Hollywood, said Williams, who helped launch Sam Riley in the lead role of Ian Curtis in the 2007 biopic “Control” about Joy Division front man. Williams said he hopes to follow the same standards to find someone with a low profile that can deliver intense personality and falsetto Buckley disturbing. “[The producers] are all very united in our quest to find the perfect person to play Jeff,” said Williams.
Today, the film is shooting in New York and Tennessee, where the story takes place mainly. Although it rejects rumors of Buckley, Williams said that all types of actors and musicians have expressed interest in hearing.
“When you have a story about a guy like Jeff give you a lot of interest because his life was so shocking and so short,” said Williams.
Buckley was 30 when he drowned in May 1997 following the decision to go swimming in Wolf River Harbor, a quiet-water channel of the Mississippi River. The news of a movie about his life move and in 2006, two years before Williams came to the project. Williams said that although the cinema has had a long gestation period, many measures have been taken to ensure that the bases and intentions are genuine.
“We are very careful about this as we go,” said Williams. “It takes a while to perfect this type of film. You do it for the right reasons.