Writer-director Guy Guido, known for his docu-drama Madonna and The Breakfast Club, is developing a feature film based on the personal life of Hollywood legend James Dean. He has secured the rights to the 2006 memoir Surviving James Dean by late author William Bast and plans to adapt it into a film. According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, Guido has already written the script and is in search of producers and the right cast for it.
In a statement to the media outlet, the director, a longtime fan of Dean, said he felt passionate about telling this more personal side of the actor’s life. “I have been a fan and historian of James Dean since I was 18 years old, so I knew about his ‘friend’ Willie, even when information about their relationship was straight-washed by the Hollywood machine. As a filmmaker, I love telling the story of a celebrity’s life in their coming-of-age period. As a gay man, I was particularly drawn to Bast’s unique story,” said Guido. He continued, “I am obsessed with getting the look right when it comes to casting and directing a film about a famous person. I want people to feel as if they are watching the real James Dean on the screen.”
William Bast met James Dean at UCLA’s theatre programme when they were both 19. In his memoir, the late author describes how their friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship. The two went from being close roommates to eventually secret lovers, keeping their relationship hidden to protect Dean’s budding acting career. While the actor was romantically linked to his female co-stars, Bast remained hopeful that, eventually, they would start living together.
However, their wish never came true. Just five years after meeting, Dean tragically passed away in a car crash in 1955 at the age of 24. At the time, the actor’s career was taking off with two of his iconic films, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant, which were then released posthumously. As per the same report, Guido’s film will focus on Bast and Dean’s evolving relationship, beginning from their first meeting until the actor’s untimely death on Sept. 30, 1955. Whereas Bast passed away in 2015 at the age of 84. The movie will be set against the backdrop of 1950s America, highlighting Bast’s struggle to accept his sexuality in an era when being gay was far from accepted.
As Guy Guido concluded his statement, he shared that he remains hopeful of finding the right team who will understand the significance of telling this story. “I want to find just the right team to partner with. Producers that understand the gravity and importance of a story like this, especially in today’s divided social climate,” added the director.
Comments
0 comment